COVID-19 Safety grades for businesses

Brief description of the project: 
Restaurants have long been subject to health department inspections evaluating their cleanliness and safety. Texas Policy Lab (TPL) researchers proposed creating a similar system for grading businesses on COVID-19 safety, which we hoped will help consumers make informed decisions amid the pandemic. We provided an outline for a COVID-19 safety grading model adapted from the restaurant system to empower consumers and give them more peace of mind. We outlined a core set of standards for all industries (for example, having an internal safety plan for employees) and suggest creating industry-specific scoring criteria based on existing health department recommendations.

Results and Impact:  
The pilot phase of the program could allow businesses to opt in as a show of good faith to follow preventive measures to promote consumer safety. If the program appears to be useful in preventing outbreaks and increasing consumer confidence, it can then be expanded and adapted by each interested jurisdiction. Enough evidence supports the utility of such programs in aiding with the prevention of foodborne illness that it warrants consideration as a small component in the arsenal of public health tactics that need to be quickly designed and implemented to keep this pandemic at bay in the long term.

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