ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — As many places are reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, new guidelines have been established for how things operate for the safety of public health.
St. Louis County released guidelines for outdoor drive-in entertainment. The below guidelines are in effect as of June 7.
The county said that following these guidelines will reduce the risk of spreading the virus among employees and guests. The core set of principles to prevent the spread of infections by respiratory transmission (including COVID-19) include:
- Practice social distancing –maintain 6 feet between and among employees and guests at all times.
- Monitor employee health – check the status of your employee’s health and screen employees for COVID-19.
- Use protective equipment – a fabric or disposable face covering must be worn by employees and guests, except when guests are in their vehicles.
- Clean/sanitize/disinfect – wash and sanitize hands, and wipe down frequently touched surfaces with EPA-registered disinfectant.
PREPARING FOR THE EVENT
- Devise a car parking system to ensure cars are parked with a space between each vehicle. This can be accomplished using parking attendants and/or numbering/marking spaces
- Place distancing markers and signage anywhere service lines will form; examples are where food is picked up, in front of restrooms and handwashing/sanitizing stations.
- Set up an online and/or phone ordering system for guests to order any food you intend to offer for sale during the event. Mobile food vendors must do this as well.
- Set up a method for scheduled customer pick-up of food, or to deliver food to individual cars (delivery highly recommended to limit lines and encourage distancing).
- Ensure there are enough toilet and hand-washing facilities to accommodate the anticipated number of guests.
- All portable toilets must be accompanied by an adjacent portable hand-washing station, equipped with disposable paper towels, liquid hand soap and a waste container.
- Prepare signage, hand-outs and/or post along with online reservations; information guiding guests to remain in cars, food ordering instructions, parking instructions, and reminders about social distancing and when to wear facial coverings.
FOOD SERVICE
- DPH’s Food Establishment and Bar Operating Guidelines must be followed by all food service establishment(s) providing food for the event.
CLEANING AND DISINFECTING
- Use EPA-registered disinfectants to clean high touch surfaces throughout the event, such as portable toilet door handles, faucets, hand-sinks, door knobs, at a minimum of every hour.
- Ensure that any shared surface or objects are disinfected after each user (pens, mobile unit service counters, receipt trays, menus). Recommend single use/disposable items and touch free methods, where possible.
- Give additional training to all cleaning employees. Employees should know how to put on and remove disposable gloves safely, use disinfectants according to manufacturer directions, and disinfect all high-touch surfaces.
LIMITING CONTACT POINTS
- No self-serve drink, food service, or buffet options are allowed.
- Make sure that there are clear pathways, establishing one-way pathways where possible, to access restrooms or food (where not delivered by staff) during the event.
- Cups, lids, napkins, and straws should be brought directly to customers by staff and not placed out for self-service.
- Condiments should be single-serve packets provided with each individual order.
- Guests should order food and pay online or through a mobile application.
MONITORING EMPLOYEE HEALTH
- Upon arrival at work, employees must be masked, and employers must conduct health checks. Conduct health checks safely and respectfully, and in accordance with any applicable privacy laws.
- Screening should include 1) a temperature check using a touchless thermometer, 2) questions about the presence of cough, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, fever, chills, muscle aches, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell and 3) questions about close contact with any person diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
- Employees with a temperature of 100.4F or above, or who answer yes to any of the screening questions, must not be allowed to work.
- Train all employees to recognize the symptoms of COVID-19.
DURING THE EVENT
- Provide parking attendants to direct guests to parking spaces, requiring one empty space between cars.
- Remind guests to adhere to social distancing rules during the event as they arrive.
- Communicate event information to guests about ordering food, staying in cars/parking space, wearing masks when leaving cars, restrooms, social distancing markers.
- Station employees throughout the parking area to monitor guests throughout the event and reinforce distancing requirements.
- Exclude guests that refuse to adhere to distancing requirements.
- Provide multiple waste disposal cans throughout the parking area, and monitor them to ensure they are emptied at a frequency that avoids overflow. Gloves should be worn by employees emptying the trash, and hands thoroughly washed after handling waste.
POWERplex, in Hazelwood, has been hosting drive-in graduations and movie/concert nights.
