With businesses continuing to reopen across the nation, now is the time to develop a plan for how your business can reopen quickly and safely.

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic continues, adapting your security system can help you meet public health recommendations both now and in a post-COVID environment. Actively monitoring your facility and the wellbeing of employees, customers, students, patients, and the general public can help prevent new cases.

How can your existing security technology be applied or upgraded to help execute your reopening strategy? Here are our top four tips for adjusting your surveillance system to meet these challenges!

Plan for Evolving Social Distancing Requirements

Current social distancing requirements remain at six feet between people, but these guidelines will likely evolve as the threat of COVID develops and new requirements take their place [1].

During your planning stage for reopening, consider the areas that need to be monitored and for which violations. For instance, entryways are common areas where people tend to get too close as well as breakrooms.

Security camera analytics can help identify when social distancing is being violated in a particular area, as well as whether or not people are wearing face masks.

Position Your Cameras to Focus on Priority Areas

Areas of concern for your security team pre-COVID are likely different from those today. Your security cameras may have initially been installed to monitor areas for loss prevention or crime monitoring.

However, for businesses across many industries today, a higher priority may be to monitor new areas of concern for health violations and to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Consider whether you’ll need to reposition your security cameras to focus on new priority areas, and if so, if you’ll need new cameras to focus on previous spaces in addition to your new ones.

Consider Adding Automatic Door Opening Systems

Even with existing access control systems, your facility may have doors that need to be opened by hand. It’s unrealistic for employees to constantly disinfect handles, knobs, and crash bars on doors in an effort to reduce risk.

Adding an automatic door opening system that works in conjunction with your access control system may help prevent the spread of bacteria that could cause COVID-19.

For example, research shows the virus can last longer on plastic and stainless steel components than on some other surfaces [2]. Unfortunately, many people have these components on their existing doors that people touch often, which can lead to unnecessary exposure for anyone entering or exiting your building.

Upgrade Your Existing Cameras With Analytics for Real-Time Alerts

Real-time alerts enable your security team to respond immediately to an incident that could jeopardize everyone’s safety. Upgrading your existing surveillance system with video analytics can help you prioritize alerts and proactively monitor conditions.

Some surveillance systems come with pre-installed analytics that can be configured to your specifications. As your surveillance priorities evolve, your security professionals can reduce responses to false alarms and closely monitor health-related activity in real-time.

These analytics can help enforce social distancing, prevent crowding, and even include count-based alerts to determine if there are too many people congregating in an area [3].

Let Us Help You Successfully Navigate Reopening!

As we continue to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and the reopening of businesses, our security specialists at Surveillance Secure are here to support you. Let’s discuss a plan that will safely streamline your reopening process. Contact us at (877) 388-1248 today!

 

Sources:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html
2. https://theconversation.com/automatic-doors-the-simple-technology-that-could-help-stop-coronavirus-spreading-135420
3. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-surveillance-tech/companies-bet-on-ai-cameras-to-track-social-distancing-limit-liability-idUSKCN22914R