#cloud based access control system

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we humans see the world around us. Indians after undergoing more than 60 days of strict lockdown were allowed to leave their homes on June 1 without any restrictions in terms of movement. When the roads and market opened up, things were different, and every industry felt the effects. Among all industries, the retail industry was among the worst hit due to the lockdown.

When the complete lockdown was implemented, non-essential retail outlets remained closed completely. These included shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books, electronics, plus tailors, auction houses, photography studios, and indoor markets. However, as the economy started to open up, the government allowed these retail shops to open up.

Apply Social Distancing to Your Retail Store

Ever since the opening up of the economy started, the retail stores were not only faced by the decreased footfall but, they were also welcomed by a set of rules issued by the government.

These guidelines were in terms of:

Safety & Hygiene

Crowd Control

Social Distancing

These rules apply to essential as well as non-essential retail stores operating in malls as well as markets. Here is a brief of all the important social distancing guidelines provided by the government for businesses in the retail industry.

Limit the no. of people in contact on a production floor or store, by creating physical barriers so that people in smaller spaces can have barriers without hindering work, wherever possible.

Limit the number of people who come to the store at any point in time.

Use spacing measures such as floor markers or stickers at queues or tills or where there is a possibility of a large number of people gathering, increase the gaps between workstations, seating arrangements, etc. to ensure at least a 6-feet gap is maintained between employees and customers.

Install no-touch trash bins at checkouts/cash counters.

Use ID cards for punching attendance instead of fingerprints (avoid using any biometric system)

Place signage at prominent locations throughout the store- Encouraging customers and employees to maintain six feet of distance at all times, floor markers located six feet apart from any other.

Consider programming in-store audio messaging to frequently remind employees and customers to follow guidelines on hygiene and physical distancing.

Ensure a minimum 6 feet distance between customers at the billing counter, encourage contactless payment.

Install plexiglass sheets at the billing counter to reduce the risk for the staff at the billing counter.

Cancel all unnecessary meeting and recreating activities for the employees at any retail store.

Temperature scanning of all entrants ensuing social distancing between the employee doing the check and the customer

Request employees and customers to fill a self-declaration form asking them certain vital questions related to COVID 19 like the temperature in the last 24 hours and contact with an infected person.

Proper crowd management in the parking lots and outside the premises – duly compliance with social distancing norms should be ensured.

While these measures may seem difficult to comply with, retailers can make use of the advanced technology being developed to help them make compliance easier.