The health and safety of our employees, customers and distribution partners is our top priority. Hearst Newspapers are committed to providing our communities accurate, reliable and critical news at times of crisis including the current coronavirus outbreak.
Because of the trust you place in us, we wanted to share with you some of the actions we are taking to keep our customers, employees and our distribution partners as safe as possible amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.
Our actions are being guided by the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization and other leading health organizations, and include:
- To the extent possible, a large majority of our employees are working remotely and practicing safety protocols including social distancing and conducting business by phone or through online meetings.
- All of our facilities are receiving enhanced cleaning done on a regular basis and our operations and distribution facilities are being deep cleaned each day and where appropriate, multiple times a day. We have increased disinfection frequency in high traffic areas, common areas and restrooms. We have provided additional hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes around the facilities, as well as increased fresh air intake/balance of the HVAC systems where possible.
- Within our production and distribution facilities, we have staggered our start times for our employees, created physical separation between individuals and teams. Whenever possible, anyone physically touching the newspaper in our facilities is wearing protective gear to ensure safe handling of the product. We are also working with our distribution partners to implement safety procedures with their delivery carriers.
- We have been encouraging our employees and distribution partners to closely monitor their health and seek medical attention immediately if they develop flu-like symptoms. Anyone who reports or displays flu-like symptoms is being asked to stay home.
Things are changing rapidly as we all fight to control the spread of this disease. Rest assured that we are and will continue to take every precaution and stay abreast of recommendations by the CDC, WHO and others to ensure the health and safety of our employees, partners, readers and our community.
