Tarrant officials looking for ways to keep people from touching doors amid COVID-19
Tarrant County officials have implemented a few extra measures to make sure public buildings are sanitized in response to COVID-19, or coronavirus.
“People seem to like not having to touch the doors,” David Phillips, Facilities Management Director, said in an email to elected county officials.
To alleviate that fear, extra trash bins will be placed outside of restrooms so people can easily use paper towels to open doors and then dispose of them. The county is also looking into ways to install foot pulls so people don’t have to touch bathroom doors with their hands, according the emails, which were obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Thursday.
Doors to the administration building, at 100 E. Weatherford St., have been propped open since last Monday. The county plans to leave doors to other public building propped open over the next few days.
The county is also buying 55 gallon drums of disinfectant cleaner to distribute, Phillips wrote. Directives were sent to county leaders outlying exactly what surfaces need to be disinfected, such as elevator doors and buttons, conference room tables and chairs, ATMs, kiosks, public waiting areas and vending machines.
At least six people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have tested presumably positive for the coronavirus, including a Fort Worth priest, who is hospitalized.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person between people who are in close contact with one another and through droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
The best way to protect against the virus is by regular hand washing for at least 20 seconds, the CDC has said.
Other ways to prevent the spread of the virus include:
▪ Using hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, if soap and water are not available.
▪ Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
▪ Avoid close contact with people who are sick
▪ Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.
▪ Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
▪ Throw used tissues in the trash.
▪ Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 1:43 PM.
