If you take the above steps to protect your employees, you’re already making progress on protecting your customers. However, if your business depends on high foot traffic from customers, you may need to go beyond PPE and stringent cleaning to make your location safe for visitors.

First, review your local, state, and federal guidelines on new capacity limits for your business location – in many places, these are now capped at below 50% of your normal capacity. Depending on your state’s guidance, you may also decide to go above and beyond to ensure social distancing in your location.

Based upon your new location capacity, you will likely have to rearrange your physical location. This can include setting up one-way only aisles in your stores, as many grocery stores have done, removing half of your restaurant tables, and marking spots 6 feet apart in checkout lines to avoid crowding. You may also want to install plastic guards at checkout areas or between restaurant tables to minimize contact between your customers and employees. To ensure customers are following your guidelines, you may want to consider dedicating one staff member to monitoring capacity in your location.

Similar to the PPE requirements for your employees, you may also want to consider requiring your customers to wear a mask or face covering while in your location. In many states, this may actually be required by law. If budget allows, you could even offer masks to your customers. You may also want to request that customers avoid visiting your location if they are experiencing any symptoms.