COVID-19 PANDEMIC: RISK ASSESSMENT AND THE LACK OF BASIC PREVENTIVE MEASURES AFTER THREE MONTHS OF RE-OPENING

Abstract

COVID-19 was announced to be a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. A lockdown in most countries throughout the world took place to break the chain of its spread. In late May of the same year re-opening started with new regulations to protect people from this new SARS-CoV-2 hazard. The goal of this study was to evaluate the degree to which COVID related occupational preventive measures were being taken in North Cyprus (NC) at the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic. A checklist was prepared and applied to different industries in NC to identify the observable measures taken. A risk assessment (RA) was conducted in a private hospital using the online interactive risk assessment (OiRA) tool of OSHA-EU. Mask usage and alcohol-based disinfectants at only the main entrances (54.55%) were the most important measures taken. The RA conducted in a hospital setting where there was a lot of people traffic, mostly patients, entering and exiting, showed that the hospital was not well prepared for the new SARS-COV-2 occupational risk factor. Poor workplace management is identified. Even the most important, basic general measures to reduce physical contact and therefore the risk of infection have not been adopted.