Lice Removal During COVID-19: Here are Your Top Concerns Answered

COVID-19 pandemic has affected our lives in countless ways. From how we used to spend our holidays on how we buy basic home groceries—everything has changed. All of us are trying to thrive and remain collected amid the enormity of this pandemic and its severe impacts on our daily lives. Though the current situation is continually evolving, one thing has remained constant: our community’s wellbeing and safety is our highest priority. We are taking every safety and social distancing measure suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the safety of our customers and the staff working at our lice treatment center in Glen Cove, Port Washington, Merrick, Lawrence, Brooklyn, and other locations.

How Are You at Risk of Lice Infestation While Sheltering in Place?

Many people assume that because they are not going anywhere outside, and the kids aren’t going to school, there is no way they can get head lice. However, according to a CDC report, the number of reported lice cases rises significantly when kids return to school after the summer and winter break. An increase in family gatherings is also considered to be a culprit behind this sharp increase. This means that if you’re still arranging small BBQ parties in your backyard or meeting your close family relatives, you may still be prone to catching head lice. The risk may be higher if your kids are going out to play with friends, doing sleepovers, or they are enrolled in daycare or a summer camp. On the other hand, even if you are religiously sheltering-in-place and abiding by the social distancing guidelines, the lice levels may be low at this point, but this might not stay this way for an extended period. The lockdown is being gradually eased around the country, and sooner or later, the kids will return to their leisure activities involving head-to-head contact with friends. And by the time you see the symptoms of lice infestation after four to six weeks, it may be too late to follow the lice prevention tips. But you have our support. If, at any point, you suspect you or your kids may have a lice problem, visit us at Lice Troopers in Glen Cove for a professional lice removal, or call us for in-home lice treatment. To maintain the protection of our clients and employee during head lice treatments, we have developed a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) based on the hierarchy of hazard controls, as guided by the CDC.

Engineering Controls: Separating Our Employees From the COVID-19 Hazard

• We’ve moved the workstations for every employee to maintain a safe social distance from other employees and clients that they aren’t treating for lice removal.
  • We’ve installed transparent shields between salon tables where moving safe distancing wasn’t an option.
• Employees are told to stay physically distant from each other and the clients in other areas of our lice treatment center, including the parking area, casual rooms, and in the hallway or cash counter area.
  • We have marked our floors and placed visible signs to remind our employees and customers to maintain social distancing consistently.
  • We limited access to common rooms, like the lunch area, where workers may sit together during free time.
• We’ve reduced the number of chairs in the waiting loungeto keep every chair at a distance of 6 feet from the other. This is done to ensure people don’t form groups while waiting for their lice treatment. Remove chairs from the waiting area to make sure people do not sit close together or wait in groups.
• We have inspected and improved the working condition of the ventilation unitsin our lice treatment center. We are also ensuring regular cleaning of the ventilators for good hygiene in the clinic. Additionally, we’re maintaining the humidity levels at 40 to 60 percent inside our clinic and are working improving air filers’ efficiency to improve indoor air quality.
• We are further planning to install efficient air filtration unitsto clean the indoor air of any germs and contaminants.

Administrative Controls: We Modified the Way Our Employees Work

• We screen our employees’health regularly by checking their temperatures and ensuring that they haven’t exhibited any of the following symptoms in the past 24 hours before entering the treatment center:

· Fever or chills	· Fatigue
· Headache	· Cough
· Shortness of breath	· Loss of taste
· Loss of smell	· Diarrhea
· Body aches	· Chest congestion or runny nose
· Vomiting or nausea	· Sore throat

 

• The lice specialistsare asked if they live with or care for someone with the symptoms of COVID-19.
• Every employee must stand or sit at a safe distance of 6-feet while waiting for their screening.
• While booking the appointment,clients are monitored for potential symptoms of COVID-19.
  • For the period of COVID-19, our lice removal services are limited to customers who have scheduled an appointment.
  • During online or telephone scheduling of lice treatment, we ask clients if they have been in interaction with someone who had a fever, felt fatigued, was coughing, found it difficult to breathe, or complained of not being able to smell or taste in 24 hours before booking.
  • If a client reports being exposed to someone with patients or having symptoms, they are politely asked to reschedule after a period of 10 to 14 days, or after they have tested negative for COVID-19.

• We’ve established stagger timings for work shifts and breaks to minimize the number of people in our lice treatment centerat any given time so that that safe distancing can be ensured.
• Regular cleaning and disinfectingof hard-surfaces or objects touched frequently.
  • We ensure that all frequently used or touched hard surfaces are cleaned and disinfected daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
  • If the surfaces are dirty, we first clean those using regular detergent, disposable wipes, sprays, or paper towels before disinfecting. Then we apply an EPA-registered disinfectant to remove any germs.
  • While cleaning and disinfecting, workers are instructed to wear masks and gloves to prevent chemical inhalation or contact.
  • Disinfecting disposable wipes and other cleaners are made available and easily accessible throughout the facility to encourage employees to disinfect surfaces before and after using them. These surfaces may include:

· Curing lamps	· Countertops
· Sinks	· Toilets
· Light switches	· Doorknobs
· Handheld devices (phone, tablet, etc.)	· Lice treatment equipment
· Faucets	· Chairs and tables

• We use individual supplies for every client when possible, for items like brushes, combs, and lice extraction combs. However, non-reusable supplies like lice treatment shampoos, lice repellents, bowls, capes, towels, and linens are disinfected with EPA-approved disinfectantsbefore using them on other clients.
• Every item on the cash counter including keyboard, mouse, pens, counters, electronic point of sales material (EPOSM), and touchscreens after accepting the payment from every client.
• Lice specialists are advised to wear clean and washed smocks before each client. The same applies to linens, towels, and capes for every client.
  • All these objects must be laundered every day in hot water, according to OEM instructions.

• We prefer cashless payments and use EPOSM to receive payments via debit and credit cards, to minimize indirect or direct physical contact between the clients and workers on the payment receptions. If a client is unable to pay via card, employees are only allowed to receive the cash with gloves that are immediately disposed of properly.
  • Employees are further asked to wash hands thoroughly for a minimum of 20 seconds with water and hand wash.
  • Hand sanitizers (with 60 percent alcohol) are provided made available across the facility ad employees are required to use them frequently throughout the day, especially before and after service.
• We provide our workers with enough time and supplies to ensure proper hand hygiene. Furthermore, they are provided with disposable paper towels to dry their hands after washing.
  • We have installed signs and notices across the facility for reminding workers to wash hands frequently for 20 seconds.
  • No-touch dust bins are provided at the facility.
• Clients and employees are encouraged to maintain safe distancinginside the treatment center, including the payment counter.
  • We have limited the number of clients for those with a pre-scheduled appointment to reduce the crowd in the facility. Every client is treated at a distance of 6 feet from the other.
  • Though we haven’t closed our waiting areas, we have removed some chairs to allow for better distancing between each waiting client. However, we recommend clients to wait in their vehicles whenever possible.
  • A staff member is dedicated to the duty at the entrance gate to ensure the policy is being followed.

• We’ve posted signs and notice remindersat the entrance hall where every client can read the safety guidelines to be followed during the treatment for their wellbeing and that of our workers.
  • These notices will provide instruction on ensuring good hand hygiene, 6-feet safe distancing, sneezing and coughing etiquette, use of gloves, masks, and cloth face coverings. These instructions will comprise of signs and symbolsfor non-native clients who don’t understand English.
• While booking the appointment, clients are advised to wear masks or cloth face coverings and glovesbefore arriving at our lice treatment center in Glen Cove. Employees are also required to wear face masks and shields while performing the service because lice treatments aren’t possible with a distance of 6-feet from the client. The lice specialists will need to treat the hair; hence masks or cloth face coverings are imperative.
• We’ve installed handwashing stations where clients are required to wash their hands with soap or hand wash and waterbefore the lice removal service.
• Educate employees that people may be infected with COVID-19 even when they are asymptomatic (they do not exhibit any potential symptoms). Therefore, it’s critical for their safety that they follow the safe distancing protocols when not servicing and wearing Proper Protective Equipment (PPE) at all times while performing the treatment.

How to Ensure Wellbeing After Your Lice Removal Treatment?

For your peace of mind, take the following measures to make sure you weren’t exposed to the coronavirus before or during the lice treatment.

• Keep monitoring if you have any symptoms of COVID-19. Consider isolating yourself or get yourself tested for COVID if you experience difficulty breathing, loss of smell, loss of state, fever, body aches, cough, flu, and diarrhea. If you have an oximeter at your home, you can monitor your oxygen levels and pulse rate too.
• After returning home from the lice treatment, disinfect your bag, wallet, keys, glasses, or other belongings that you may have used at the treatment center.
• Immediately wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds and take body shower after reaching home. Wash the clothes you wore to the lice treatment centerwith warm water and a good-quality detergent. Don’t wash them with other clothes. Furthermore, while taking a shower, only use shampoo your hair if your lice specialist permitted you for shampooing.

We are continually monitoring any new guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and other local authorities. Our standard operating procedures are updated in light of the information provided by these trusted sources. The entire team at Lice Troopers Glen Cove appreciated you for your continued love, trust, and support, which keeps us thriving amid these trying times.

Bid Farewell to Your Lice Problem Without Any Fear!

If you want to schedule an appointment for a reliable head lice treatment in Glen Clove, get in touch with our team today. You can visit our treatment center, or our lice specialist can visit you for an in-home lice removal service. We also offer top-quality home lice inspection and cleaning, as well as camp and school lice screenings. We’ve solved over 500,000 cases of lice infestations with 100 percent guaranteed results and at affordable rates. We care for our clients’ health and environmental sustainability, which is why we use pesticide free and chemical-free products for lice treatment. If you’re looking to get a lice treatment for your child, we have great news. We’ll offer a Lice-Free Certificate for your kid to present at their school. The environment and setting of our facility are incredibly comforting and child-friendly. Furthermore, our lice specialists are experts in treating kids without making them uncomfortable. We believe that lice treatments must not be delayed, so we offer same-day appointments and operate seven days a week from 8 AM to 10 PM. We’ll also provide you a free Lice Troopers Educational Guide rounded up by our expert lice specialists to educate you on how to prevent lice infestations in the future after our lice treatment. For more queries and concerns about our safety protocols for you, call our Glen Cove Lice Treatment Center at (516) 213-5624.