Pennsylvania Dept. of Health Orders New Safety Measures for Businesses

Effective April 6, 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Health issued an Order for businesses authorized to maintain in-person operations pursuant to prior Orders issued by the Governor and Secretary of Health to date (including those operating under exemptions from those Orders) relating to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The Order acknowledges that these operations are continuing despite COVID-19 being a contagious disease, rapidly spreading, and transmitted from through contact such as coughing from another person and/or touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching one’s mouth, nose, or eyes. Given that reality, the Order seeks to provide practical guidance to such operations for building service employees to protect public health in an attempt to reduce infections.

Accordingly, this Order makes the following actions mandatory:

1. In addition to maintaining pre-existing cleaning protocols established in the facility, as specified in paragraph (2) below, clean and disinfect high-touch areas routinely in accordance with CDC guidelines, in spaces that are accessible to customers, tenants, or other individuals;
2. Maintain pre-existing cleaning protocols established in the facility for all other areas of the building;
3. Ensure that the facility has a sufficient number of employees to perform the above protocols effectively and in a manner that ensures the safety of occupants and employees;
4. Ensure that the facility has a sufficient number of security employees to control access, maintain order, and enforce social distancing of at least 6 feet, provided the security employees are otherwise responsible for such enforcement.

Without limitation, the Order expressly confirms that its mandates apply to “owners of buildings of at least 50,000 square feet used for commercial, industrial or other enterprises, including but not limited to facilities for warehousing, manufacturing, commercial offices, airports, grocery stores, universities, colleges, government, hotels, and residential buildings with at least 50 units.”

Please contact Vincent M. Roskovensky, vroskovensky@clarkhill.com (412-394-7716) for further details or if you need assistance regarding this.