As Northern Virginia moves closer to re-opening, I have been looking at how to reopen my office to new clients in ways that keep everyone as safe as possible.  There is no one magical step that can assure office safety, but each step adds additional benefit, and the cumulative effect of multiple methods hopefully will be enough to reduce dramatically the chance that my office is a vector for disease.  Here are some of the steps I will be taking:

Hand Washing.  I have always washed my hands between seeing each client and as early as February started requesting that clients coming to the office do the same as they arrived.  This practice will continue; everyone who enters the office suite must immediately wash hands. Hand sanitizer is available as an additional step, but experts say that hand washing is most effective.

Surface Disinfection.  We have hospital-grade sanitizing wipes on hand, and I will be washing down my work space, door handles, and sink handles after each client departs, so that surfaces are clean for the next person.  I have always cleaned headphones and other devices with rubbing alcohol in between clients and will continue that practice.

Air Filtration.  HEPA filters capture particles down to .3 microns, and most viruses are an average of .125 microns.  However, viruses don’t fly through the air on their own. They are normally in droplets of moisture coughed or sneezed, and those droplets are more than .3 microns.  There has not been time yet for air purification system companies to have conducted independent testing to prove that their products capture droplets containing the novel coronavirus.  Common sense, however, suggests that the added benefit of air purification will make the space cleaner.  I have purchased two air purification systems from a company that does a good job of explaining the benefits and possible limitations of air filtration. You can access their blog here: https://www.alencorp.com/blogs/articles/air-purifiers-and-coronavirus .

Spacing Appointments.  Brain training appointments will no longer be back-to-back.  I will be separating each new trainee by 30 minutes to allow the air filtration to process the air in a room and to allow time for additional surface cleaning.

On-Time Arrivals.  Before, it was no problem if people arrived early to the office for their appointment.  One could simply grab a beverage and sit in the waiting room.  Now, I am asking that even if one arrives early, he or she should wait until no sooner than five minutes before an appointment to come into the office suite.  This limits the amount of contact time and potential encountering of other trainees.

Limited Attendance.  Before, it was not a problem to bring spouses, siblings or others into the office space.  Now, I am asking that attendance in the office be limited to the trainee plus one other person.  If this is not possible, I ask for advance notice to make accommodation.  In addition to limiting guests in the office suite, my two office mates are able to offer tele-health appointments and, at this time, do not have plans to return to face-to-face appointments any time soon.  Therefore, there will be no more than three people in the suite at the same time.

Moved my Seating.  I normally sit next to trainees to monitor their progress during sessions.  Now, I have moved to a chair that is approximately six feet behind the training desk, where I can see what is happening and remain at a distance.

Cancel if You Feel Unwell.  Brain training while sick has never been a great idea, so I have never charged for missed appointments due to illness.  Now, I am emphasizing the point more.  If you feel unwell, I will be asking that you cancel your appointment until you feel better.  It is difficult to discern without testing the difference between the novel coronavirus and other similar viruses, so please just stay home.

As things progress, these steps may evolve or change, but this is what I am aware I can do right now to make my office space as safe as possible in these unprecedented times.  Feel free to contact me if you have questions or are interested in a consultation.