Novel Coronavirus

Response Overview

The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 has spread very rapidly worldwide and is the cause of a large number of deaths. Many countries have insufficient capacity for testing. At the same time, many people are infectious before they show symptoms. Therefore, it is likely that communities have a large number of people with undetected COVID-19. This is a risk for your team members, their families and your community.

According to the research, social distancing is the most effective method to slow down and halt the spread of COVID-19. Given the serious threat this virus poses to our vulnerable population and healthcare systems, we recommend that all companies immediately close down offices. This will help lessen the risk for your team, their families, and your community. Even if the number of cases in your community is low, it is vital to take action early due to the rapid spread of the virus.

Facility Closure

Our offices are currently CLOSED to all non-essential team members and those who are able to work from home. In case that you need to be at the office for a business critical reason, please reach out to the Response Contact above.

For any team members that must be at the office, please follow these guidelines:

● Avoid travelling with public transportation, especially during peak times.

● Wash your hands immediately after arriving at the office for at least 20 seconds with soap.

● Avoid touching your face, mouth or eyes.

● Do not shake hands and maintain a distance of 6 feet between co-workers.

● If you are feeling unwell, please leave immediately.

Working Remotely

We are taking this unusual time as an opportunity to experiment with new ways of working.

● Meetings - We will replace all in-person meetings with (Zoom/Uber Conference/Skype)

● Collaboration - We will be using (Slack/WhatsApp/Email/Trello) to keep everyone up-to-date

We want to be successful working remotely and here are some best practices to ensure this:

● Communication - Over-communicate about what you are working on. There is no such thing as over-communication, however, please use online notifications respectfully.

● Tolerance - Assume the best of intentions with written messaging. Without in-person interaction, it may be harder to interpret the meaning and tone of a message.

● Availability - Some team members may have family members at home to care for. Please advise your co-workers of your schedule and particular circumstances, so that we can best adapt work at this unusual time.

● Scheduling - Divide your day in deep work when you prefer not to be disturbed, and shallow work when you are available to colleagues, and communicate that to your colleagues.

Travel Postponement

We are postponing all work-related travel, both international and national. We recommend that you also postpone all non-essential personal travel. If you must travel, take necessary precautions recommended by health authorities to prevent being infected by COVID-19.

Sickness and Absences

If you experience symptoms of COVID-19, particularly a fever and cough, if you have been to an area with an outbreak or if you have been in close contact with an infected person, please let the Response Contact know and contact the health authorities for further advice.

Please take any time off to recover from illness during this period. To avoid overwhelming our medical system, you do not need a note from a doctor about illness to take leave. Any absence due to due illness is automatically approved, and the resulting period of sick leave is compensated by the governing company guidelines.

Staying Safe

Please be aware of your role in our community to help stop the spread:

● Contact - Avoid physical contact, such as handshakes and kissing.

● Hygiene - Wash your hands. Avoid touching your face, eyes, mouth and nose.

● Events - Avoid events with 10 people or more and stay 6 feet away from others at events.

● Coughing - Cover your mouth when coughing, ideally with disposable paper.

Mental Wellbeing

Please take the time to care for your mental wellbeing. Based on the World Health Organization's guidelines, here are some helpful principles to follow:

● Anxiety - If you are feeling anxiety, avoid watching, reading or listening to news that may increase your distress. Use news to take practical steps, and set aside a couple times per day to review the news, versus a continuous stream.

● Stress - If you are feeling stressed, take a break and do something relaxing, such as reading a book or watching a television show.

● Empathy - If you upset, be empathetic to the others around you that may also have higher levels of anxiety and stress.

● Language - Be careful in the language that you use by being thoughtful in your working and byu referring to “people who have COVID-19”, “people who are being treated for COVID-19”, and “people who are recovering from COVID-19.”

Local Health Contacts

If you have questions about COVID-19, please contact the healthcare providers listed below. Be mindful that this is a time of increased demand for their services:

İstanbul
Advisory e-mail: [email protected]
Local health information: https://pabbler.com

Conclusion

We believe these measures will help keep you, your family and our community safe. Our approach is based on learning what has worked in areas that have successfully contained COVID-19.

While this is an uncertain time, by working together and taking the measures needed, we can stop the spread of the virus and protect most vulnerable members of our society. Thank you for your help.

Ceren Süngü Kalpaklıoğlu/ Ceo

Resources

From CDC
Virtual Communication Tools

There are many virtual meeting and communication tools on the market. We have compiled a list below from companies that are best in breed. Some are offering special deals to its customers due to the virus:

● Zoom Video Conferencing: https://zoom.us

● Google Hangouts - https://fndri.com/2WeOfuh

● Microsoft Teams - https://fndri.com/2QkjIr8

● Slack - https://slack.com

● Asana - https://asana.com

● Trello - https://trello.com