Connecticut Loosens Restrictions

Last Wednesday, May 20th, select businesses all across Connecticut were given the green light to reopen their doors for the first time in over two months. To allow for this opening, the state achieved all of its reopening goals. For instance, more than 50,000 tests are being administered weekly, hospitalizations are below the 20% threshold, and the contact tracking platform is being rolled out to health districts around the state. These are all good signs, but it will ultimately be up to businesses to take the virus seriously and practice safe operating procedures.

The May 20th opening, colloquially referred to as “phase 1”, includes a state-wide–limited–opening of offices, retail stores, outdoor dining, outdoor museums, and zoos. Though these establishments may be open, the state has defined operating rules for each newly-reopened sector. With the help of his reopening committee, Governor Ned Lamont laid down strict ground rules for local businesses in hopes of keeping a possible COVID-19 resurgence at bay. Some of these new rules include opening at limited capacity, separate workspaces, and continued use of personal protective equipment.

Though Hayward Turnstiles falls under the category of “essential business”, we aren’t just going to ignore the ground rules. We will still be closely following Governor Lamont’s rules to protect our in-office employees, our customers, and our vendors. Read on to learn more about our efforts to safely and efficiently return to full capacity.

Supplying Access Control Products at Full Capacity

Though offices were allowed to reopen on May 20th in Connecticut, our Hayward Turnstiles team collectively decided to hold off on returning until we thought it was safe to do so. Once we noticed the state’s improved testing efforts and saw evidence of case numbers trending downward, we decided it was safe to reopen at full capacity on May 26th.

Our return doesn’t mean business as usual, though, because coronavirus still poses a significant risk. Because of this, we have made the necessary changes in both our offices and our factories to adhere to the state’s new guidelines for COVID-19 business openings. Regardless of the situation, we are happy to be back and helping our customers with their access control projects.

Factory Operations Return to Normal

Our Hayward Turnstiles factory team is proud to be back creating access control products that could potentially help stave off the next viral pandemic. As of the 26th, our factories are back at full capacity. As a result, our customers will enjoy normal lead times and improved responsiveness from our Technical Support department.

Each worker in our factory will continue to wear masks and other proper personal protective equipment for the time being. Beyond this, we have taped off work areas to ensure that workers stay a proper 6 feet away from each other. Just like many other companies, we will continue to monitor temperatures with our no-touch thermometers twice daily all thanks to charitable donations by the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce and the CBIA.

Right now, we continue to restrict access to our factory and only allowing shipments on Fridays. But, with our over-the-top efforts to monitor employee symptoms, sanitize surfaces, and prevent virus spread, we have decided to lift our shipping restrictions on June 1st and will once again ship orders daily.

Our production team will be working extra hard in the coming weeks to keep lead times as short as possible to account for unexpected delays within our supply chain. Local galvanizers, powder coaters, and raw material manufacturers are getting hit hard with COVID-19 outbreaks, so we wanted to make sure delays on their end are offset by fast production and quick fulfillment on our end.

Our Office Staff Continue to Follow Social Distancing Guidelines

Just like in our factories, workers have also returned to the Hayward Turnstiles offices. On Tuesday, the 26th, we abandoned our work from home setups and returned to our desks in an attempt to get back to normal. Though we cannot enjoy lunch together or use our communal areas around the office, we are adjusting quickly to our new reality and will continue to provide expert service to our customers no matter the circumstance.

Just as Ned Lamont and his team have outlined, we have taken a number of precautions to make our return to work as safe and sensible as possible. For instance, we have staggered lunches, locked down our communal spaces, rearranged our office to comply with proper social distancing protocols, and will continue to wear masks during our shifts. Further, we are still limiting visitors and will not allow anyone inside our facilities without a mask. Temperature screening will be mandatory until this viral threat has been eradicated.

All of the efforts illustrated above and more were put in place to ensure the safety of our office staff and prevent any future outbreaks from affecting our productivity. We know that many companies are starting to rely on access control to protect them against viral outbreaks, so we have made it our mission to be available for our customers during this time of need.

What Does This All Mean for You?

It is true that we were open during the entire duration of the COVID-19 shutdown, but we were at a limited capacity with many of us working from home or not working at all. Now, we are back at full capacity and are rapidly adjusting to the new challenges coronavirus has presented to us in the workplace. For you, our customers, this means improved response times, quicker lead times, and even more flexibility with order accommodations.

We know that not every state is getting back to normal at the same rate we are, so we will continue to accommodate special order requests. Just like at the beginning of the pandemic, we are still willing to hold orders for those who cannot receive shipment due to COVID-19 closures.