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By Brooke Chaplan

As some businesses are starting to open up across the country, owners are eager to greet their customers, sell their products and rekindle a positive atmosphere. However, as a small business owner, you likely also have concerns about a second wave of COVID-19 occurring. Following some strategies can help you to avoid a second wave or at least reduce the chances of being substantially hit. Here are four ways small businesses can avoid being hit by a second pandemic wave.

Save now

First, businesses need to save now, even if they are still recovering from the first wave. Protecting your business against financial devastation is important. After this first set of closures, you likely have a clear idea of how much your business would need to stay afloat in the event of a second wave. Make it a goal now to set aside more of your business’s income in savings than you typically would. Furthermore, conduct research to find out if you qualify for any financial relief options or loans to help get your business back to where it was.

Update and maintain employee and customer protocols

You have likely already started to research the necessary protocols for your business. If your business is already back open, these protocols are also playing a role in the daily life of your company. For example, employees and customers may have to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. You may need to check the temperatures of your employees as they come into work for the day. Expect to maintain at least some or all of these protocols for the foreseeable future, especially as the time when a second wave is expected nears.

Clean the premises

In addition to heightening health and safety standards for customers and employees, you also need to implement new protocols related to the physical space of the business. Opting for regular office building cleaning services can certainly help. You may hire a staff to clean the building throughout the day and then save the big cleaning for a day when the business is closed on the weekend.

Encourage the use of sick days

Many employees find themselves torn as to whether or not they should call out of work when they are feeling sick. For some employees, they are making a decision between their health and their income. Now is the time to evaluate the business’s packages for paid sick days. Allowing for more paid sick days and encouraging employees to take time off when they aren’t feeling well are two protocols that can help keep diseases out of the workplace.

The thought of a second wave of COVID-19 is frightening. While you might want to put those thoughts into the back of your mind and keep them there, now is the time to start preparing so you can reduce the impact of the wave.

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Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan.