Rambo Total Pest Control has had a friendly relationship with Cascade Pest Control for many years. The owner of Cascade, Kurt Treftz, has organized his thoughts on this coronavirus/COVID19 situation into a very real, practical, and productive blog post and we wanted to share it. We are sharing this with Kurt’s approval and hope it is received well. Under no circumstances do we want to fan the flames of panic, but we also do not want to ignore a very serious and real threat to our local, national, and global society. Rambo Total Pest Control will adopt these same protocols to help manage this situation for our clients, employees, and families. Please read this and let us know if you have any feedback by emailing scheduling@rambopest.com.
Cascade Pest Control Proactive
Around Local Coronavirus Outbreak
Author: Kurt Treftz, Cascade Pest Control
View the Full Article
The widely publicized coronavirus—COVID-19–has come to the greater Seattle area and Cascade Pest Control is taking preemptive steps to protect the safety and welfare of both our customers and our employees.
Flu viruses themselves cause great illness and death but until we know more about COVID-19 it could possibly be particularly virulent, so ample precautions are prudent.
Obviously, fear and certainly panic do nothing to help the coronavirus situation. Yet many are worried, and perhaps for good reason. The critical issue is that due precautions are followed starting early.
There are procedures that can minimize the spread of coronavirus as well as other cold and flu viruses which we at Cascade Pest Control intend to implement for the safety and security of our customers and our employees both.
Cascade Pest Control Initial Coronavirus Protection Protocol
- All Cascade employees are instructed to report to supervisor if/when sick. Employees that have potential coronavirus symptoms will be instructed to have no public contact and/or remain home.
- Use of sanitizing wipes—mostly for hands, also for cell phones, etc. To be used in office (as well as disinfectant spray & wipe of surfaces) and to be used by field technicians for hands, cell phones & tablets, steering wheel and other equipment.
- Use of disposable gloves by field technicians. Gloves can be worn for contact with door rails and other surfaces. If and when bare hands make contact with surfaces, a) do not touch face, and b) use sanitizing wipes to clean hands ASAP.
- We may be asking clients of indoor services whether anyone in their household (or recent visitor) was/is sick. When meeting clients we may avoid handshakes, which is otherwise normally good social protocol. If necessary, we will escalate protocol to execute paperwork and payments remotely.
Importantly, Cascade Pest Control continues to monitor developments regarding this virus. We are monitoring good business practices issued by the city of Kirkland (where the outbreak occurred), Washington State and the CDC.
One final word about COVID-19 and animals, including pest animals. There is one instance of the coronavirus being found in the nose/nostrils of a dog. The dog was not infected, however, since the virus can remain alive on non-living surfaces—such as door knobs—the virus can apparently remain active on the surface of dogs and other pets. There are no current reports that pests, such as rodents or insects, are carrying the virus.
As always, Cascade Pest Control values our customers and our employees and intends to take our stewardship seriously. It is, of course, our hope that with reasonable precautions – both in our office workplace and with our field pest technicians – that the impact of COVID-19 in the Greater Seattle/Puget Sound Region will be minimal and we can continue to enjoy our beautiful springtime.
