COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness Plan

COVID-19 Preparedness Plan

Below outlines the NorthStar Tavern Emergency COVID-19 Preparedness plan for safe and efficient operation during the COVID-19 global Pandemic.

- Staff will repeatedly be encouraged and reminded to stay home if they feel any sort of illness before coming to work.

- Temperature taking and survey questions regarding employee health and hygiene will be conducted before employees shifts start, as well as if employees show signs of illness during shift.

- If employees show symptoms of COVID-19 in the restaurant, the employee will be expedited out the backdoor of the building through the Emergency exit by the restrooms.

- Staff who think they have been exposed to COVID-19 via guests or other staff members must immediately notify management. Management will re-evaluate all staff members and retake temperatures and follow guidelines established by the CDC up to and including ceasing operations for sanitation should a positive COVID-19 test come back to the restaurant. A copy of the CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers Responding to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), May 2020 is posted in the Management Office as well as the NorthStar Tavern Planned Response for Reopening amidst COVID-19 for guidance.

- The managers of Northstar Tavern will conduct communication procedures regarding illness for any and all employees of NorthStar Tavern to ensure proper privacy protocols are maintained.

- Guests who appear to be sick and/or show symptoms of COVID-19 will be asked politely to remove themselves and their party from their table by management. The immediate area within 6FT of said guests will be immediately sanitized before allowing any other guests or staff to utilize the space.

- Accommodations will be made to the best of our ability for "High Risk" guests and staff. We will encourage, not force, vulnerable staff members to self-identify and management will take particular care to reduce exposure to these individuals.

- Physical space between guests and staff, as well as the distance between working staff at workstations, on the floor, in the expo area and on the patio will be paramount. 6FT of space will remain constant whenever physically possible.

- Traffic patterns and choke points in the restaurant and patio have been identified to further encourage maintaining 6FT of distance.

- Staff will be frequently reminded to wash their hands whenever possible. Guests will be encouraged through signs and placards placed throughout the restaurant to wash their hands/sanitize their hands whenever possible.

- Staff will be REQUIRED to wear at least the minimum PPE as described by the Minnesota Department of Health, which is a face covering or face shield. Guests will be required to do the same when being seated, using the restroom, playing pull tabs, and exiting the restaurant, but it is not required when seated at your table

- Sanitizer units will be placed throughout the restaurant for staff and guests use, paying special attention to employee workstations and choke points in the restaurant.

- Devices have been placed on restroom doors to discourage guests and staff from touching similar surfaces between sanitation periods.

- Fans, Dehumidifiers, and Kitchen Vent Hoods will remain on to encourage the flow of air out of the restaurant.

- Complete Sanitation of the restaurant will be conducted as outlined in the NorthStar Tavern Sanitation Checklist, which follows recommendations from the Center for Disease Control, Minnesota Department of Health, and the Food & Drug Administration.

Additional measures will be taken as the situation evolves, with recommended guidance from leading agencies such as the Center for Disease Control, Minnesota Department of Health, the Food & Drug Administration, and other reputable agencies.

NorthStar Tavern Sanitation Procedures

With the ever-evolving situation surrounding the COVID-19 virus and growing response, NorthStar Tavern has to evolve with the information that is becoming available. In order to make NorthStar Tavern a safe environment for guests, as well as staff, the following procedures will be implemented for overall risk mitigation and sanitation protocol.

Risk Mitigation:

• Staff members are required to fill out a health screening questionnaire and record their temperature at the time of entry in to the restaurant. These recordings and questionnaires will be kept in a Health Log Book.
• Any employee who has a fever, or appears sick, lethargic, unkempt or otherwise unfit for work will not be permitted to work, and the ON CALL will be utilized.
• If an employee becomes sick during shift, management will immediately remove the ill employee, as to not spread the source of illness.
• If staff notice a guest is exhibiting signs of COVID-19, they will immediately notify management, who will assess the situation and remove the party in question with no delay or scene, if necessary.
• Masks will be worn at all times by staff members. Guests must wear masks when proceeding and departing to and from their table. Guests are encouraged to wear masks when not actively eating or drinking while at their table.

Sanitation Protocol

• All touchable surfaces (phones, tablets, chairs, tables, booths, door handles, windows, POS screens, check presenters, etc) will be sanitized with our Peroxide Multi-Surface Cleaner and Disinfectant, which has been proven effective against the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) family.
• Staff members will frequently wash hands and use hand sanitizer at the stations provided around the restaurant.
• Hand Sanitizer will be out for guests to utilize upon entering and exiting the restaurant.
• Staff will refrain from using personal devices (personal phones, personal tablets, etc) unless properly sanitized and are using for work purposes (IE: taking a reservation though HostMe while our host is using the work tablet)
• Management will repeatedly perform cleanliness and sanitation checks of frequented spaces for cleanliness and supply stock (Bathrooms, entryways, high traffic areas)
• Hand washing by staff members, even during downtime, will be encouraged and enforced. Guests are encouraged to wash their hands before and after eating, drinking and leaving the restaurant.
• At periodic increments during the day, all tables, booths, chairs, bartops, barstools, and children’s equipment will be sanitized, regardless of last use, by an employee using the Peroxide Multi-Surface Cleaner and Disinfectant.
• To-Go/Curbside employees will sanitize all check presenters, pens, returned gift cards and any other items a guest may use during a To-Go/Curbside transaction.
• To-Go/Curbside employees are encouraged to use hand sanitizer frequently, especially after handling money, customer credit/debit cards, gift cards and the like. Likewise, any opportunity to wash hands should be taken.

This is not an all-inclusive list, and as the situation changes, new data is released and better procedures are developed, NorthStar Tavern will update and implement changes to best suit the safety of our guests, and our staff.