Dealing With Covid-19
A note from Paul Hakes, HH Catamarans Chief of Operations in Xiamen, China:
The entire world is now grappling with Covid-19, with escalating infection rates, loss of life, and life as we know it turned upside down; closed borders, international travel and commerce grinding to a halt. Though nothing compares to the staggering death toll, the economic effects of this pandemic are undoubtedly harming the world’s population too.
As a multinational company with production in China, Hudson Yachts was among the first wave of businesses to be impacted by the Covid crisis. During the Chinese New Year the epidemic starting spreading rapidly through China. Bejing Government extended the annual holiday officially for five days, but then implemented shut downs, including the complete lockdown of the city of Wuhan with 11 million people and eventually the lockdown of the entire Hubei Province including Shanghai and later Bejing city itself. Other provinces were able to implement their own laws to manage the crisis, operating just like individual states within the USA. However, failure to manage properly meant central government and military intervention, which was motivation enough for local authorities to do a good job. After a six week closure, our Xiamen yard reopened in late February and manufacturing is now back to 100%.
As a company we applied to local government officials four times before eventually being allowed to open. Below is a list of the measures we implemented in order to reopen. Even today, with China claiming no more community based infections, we are still required to adhere to the following:
Signage around the work place, as a constant reminder to everyone of general healthy and safety protocols and additional company specific policies.
One entrance in and out. Everyone coming in is registered with at least a phone number in case of an outbreak and personnel tracking is required.
Everyone entering the facility has their temperature taken and recorded. Anyone exceeding 38degC cannot enter and must report to their local health authority.
Everyone coming in has their hands sprayed with an alcohol wash. As we are dealing with 300 employees we use a garden sprayer.
All cars and people entering drive over and walk over a large thick spongy mat that is soaked in disinfectant.
At the end of the day all employees line up again for temperature checks and hand washing.
At lunch time all employees entering the dinner hall have their hands sprayed again.
All dining hall tables are partitioned individually with simple plywood barriers.
Face masks must be worn by all employees at all times.
Meetings are held with smaller groups in larger rooms and open windows.
Social distance of 1.5m between people. This is difficult to maintain at times when working with colleagues on a specific task, but we must try to adhere to it.
Cleaners regularly wash floors and common touch points (door handles etc) with a disinfectant or bleach solution.
Personally I keep bottle of hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes with me at all times, clean my phone several times a day, and try not to bite my nails or touch my face unless I know my hands are clean. This is difficult as we all regularly and habitually touch our faces; a habit we have to recognize and try and control.
Doing what you can to minimize your exposure is paramount for your safety. Now that we know just how contagious this virus is and understand the possibility of asymptomatic carriers - these personal measures also contribute to the protection of your families, coworkers and communities.
In the marine industry we are fortunate to be reasonably well informed and with some economic standing. We are fortunate we have the choice and ability to fight this pandemic. By all of us doing our part, stemming the spread now, we will be helping those countries and communities that will not have the choice or ability to protect themselves.
Paul Hakes
Chief Operating Officer at Hudson Yacht and Marine in Xiamen China.