Florida Personal Injury Blog
SUPERBOWL SUNDAY AND COVID-19 PREVENTION
As Super Bowl Sunday nibbles at the feet of football fans around the world, so does the coronavirus. That is why, the Perazzo Law Firm and its staff of personal injury lawyers, want to share some useful information to help you stay safe when partaking of this unprecedented Super Bowl Sunday in Miami.
On February 7, 2021, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Super Bowl LV will be played before the set limit of 22,000 spectators, who will watch the home team, the Tampa Buccaneers, take on the Kansas City Chiefs. But what does that mean to bar, restaurant, and other business operators ready to cater to hardcore football fans amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the whopping daily number of cases throughout Miami-Dade?
COVID and Premises Liability
In Miami, city officials have decided to roll-back on the civil liberties residents of Miami-Dade and Broward County barely got a chance to enjoy before COVID-19’s alarming return. With business owners struggling to make ends meet and consumers concerned about safety, what does this mean to to business operators, employees, and shoppers? Given the recent outbreak in COVID-19 cases, businesses in-and-around Miami that do not meet emergency measures to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, will be forced to close. Which actually benefits the business because it prevents it fall falling victim to COVID-19 related lawsuits (see COVID-19 infected shoppers or work staff). In Miami, the Perazzo Law Firm’s staff of Personal Injury lawyers understands COVID-19 and how residents and business owners are obliged by law to proceed accordingly with regards to safety measures to prevent the spread of the coronvirus in Miami. The best lawyer advice by Jonathan Perazzo, founder of the Perazzo Law Firm in Miami, begins by avoiding contact with individuals in public places, as stated by new government laws recently imposed to face the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Miami.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS CORONAVIRUS SAFE?
- Instruct employees and staff to implement coronavirus prevention measures. :
- Provide quality cloth facial coverings to all staff members
- Supply staff with quality disposable gloves that are renewed after extensive use or after each shift
- Enforce regular hand sanitation by having employees wash their hands for at least two minutes with soap and water, followed by the use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Instruct staff, especially those handling foods, to keep their conversations and interaction to a minimum and focused only on the task at hand
- Keep work areas clean by carrying out regular disinfection of surfaces and utensils used for food preparation.
- Provide customers with hand sanitizer and enforce the use facial coverings upon entering your place of business
- Do not let customers in without following the hand sanitation and face covering protocol
- Disinfect entrances and exits regularly
- Assign an employee to the task of enforcing COVID-19 prevention measures
Making sure a business owners offer safe products and services to consumer is a huge challenge today. Thus, the personal injury lawyers at the Perazzo Law Firm have provided business owners and operators with the following guidelines for operating running a business safely and avoiding a personal injury lawsuit for COVID-19 related negligence or wrongdoing. In Miami, the Perazzo Law Firm suggests that food services sector workers and Miami residents alike be familiar with the coronavirus prevention measures imposed by the CDC. Read below:
Guide to a Healthy Food Services Outlet
Face Coverings & Shields. The CDC mandates the use of cloth face covers by all food service staff and workers because of the rapid spread of COVID-19 by way of droplets from an infected individual. Facial coverings, face shields, googles, hairnets, and gloves are suggested by the personal injury attorneys at the Perazzo Law Firm.
Social in-house Distancing. Business owners must apply floor markings or carryout any needed remodeling to enlarge cramp work areas. The suggested distancing by the CDC is 6 feet between individuals. Enforcing this distance by the business operators, managers, and employees is highly recommended.
Employee Sanitation & Hygiene. Verifying that food workers abide by strict hygiene and sanitation measures is the responsibility of food business operators. This must be imposed at all times. Furthermore, the business may be held accountable for COVID-19 negligence if the he/she fails to give food service workers the proper essentials for preventing the spread of the coronavirus among staff and visitors. Regular provision of cloth facial masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer must be given to staff by the food service operator.
Disinfecting the Premises. The business operator must impose compliance of regular disinfection of walking surfaces and all spaces where foods are found such as: counter tops, ranges, food prep spaces, handles, doorknobs, timers, walls, etc. Disinfection should include a bleach/water solution or an alcohol/water based mix. Adjacent exterior and interior walking surfaces should be cleaned regularly.
Handling Food. Foods served ready to eat, may never be handled by an employee that is not wearing gloves. The business operator must provide a regular supply of throw away gloves and be alert to gloves that may be torn or soiled. Take out food businesses must offer disposable utensils. Employees must wash their hands for 20 minutes with soap and water before and after wearing gloves.
Salad Bars and Buffets Tables. Not allowed.
Employees must be instructed to Stay Home: Encourage stay-at-home-if-you-feel-ill policies so that workers that feel ill, stay home. The business operator should carry-out disinfection of the employee’s belonging such as locker, uniforms, and other elements. The food business operator should consult the CDC’s guidelines for dealing with COVID-19 positive employees. Employees should not be afraid of losing their job if asked to stay home or consult a doctor. Employees must stay home until given a clean bill of health from a professional healthcare practitioner.
Ventilation. Good ventilation is key for keeping work areas clean and staff healthy. Work stations, apart from regular disinfection, need to be properly ventilated, especially after working hours when no staff and customers are present. Ventilating confined spaces is important for lowering the chances of catching COVID-19 in a business environment.
Cases in which an employer or another individual may be held liable for contraction of COVID-19:
- You are an essential worker who was not provided with the necessary elements with which to prevent becoming infected with the coronavirus
- A business operator was not successful in applying safety measures to avoid the spread of the coronavirus among customers or visitors
- An individual failed to take preventive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19
- The spread of the coronavirus to another individual was intentional and may be proven in a court of law
- Proper safety and preventive procedures were clearly neglected by a business operator
- Failure to close shop in time before massive spread of coronavirus
If any of the Coronavirus Personal Injury situations apply to you, a friend, or relative, contact the Perazzo Law Firm immediately in Miami and North Miami Beach ONLINE or by phone at 888-PERAZZO for a FREE initial consultation. Our dedicated staff and personal injury lawyers may be able to obtain economic compensation for any injuries, damages, or losses from negligent coronavirus infection caused by a business operator or person.
HOW CAN A BUSINESS OPERATOR OR INDIVIDUAL BE COVID-19 NEGLIGENT?
In Miami, the personal injury attorneys at the Perazzo Law Firm understand the battle that healthcare professionals are facing with COVID-19 in Florida. However, institutions that deal in the care of individuals may include:
- Nursing Homes and Retirement Homes
- Mental Institutions
- Daycare Centers, Schools, Institutes, Universities
- Physical Rehabilitation Centers
- Federal Prisons and Penitentiaries
- Other Public and Private Centers or Institutions
Can you sue someone or a place of business for contracting the coronavirus?
-That depends on the facts of the case as sustainable evidence to prove that an individual or business operator acted negligently in some manner that led to another individual to contract COVID-19. As with most contagious disease, malice and intentional wrongdoing must be proven.
Did you test positive for COVID-19 due to negligence by a business operator or another individual?
If so, you may be able to file a lawsuit against a business operator or individual that acted negligently and caused you, a friend, or relative to test positive for COVID-19.
Miami residents that experience bodily injury, mental harm or any event that leads to pain and suffering within a private or federal institution, may be able to receive compensation through an insurance claim. The staff and facility operators must adequate care to patients and residents but may sometimes act negligently. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic is causing more negligence and wrongdoing within nursing homes, mental facilities, prisons, and more. South Florida residents have become panic-stricken and are experience tension, feelings of frustrations, depression, and sometimes aggression. These factors enhance the chances of causing or fallen victim to an accident or wrongdoing. When a person suffers bodily harm, property damages, or economic losses, someone may be held liable through an insurance claim for compensation. The personal injury lawyers at the Perazzo Law Firm know that car accidents, slip & fall accidents, nursing home wrongdoing and institutional negligence may occur in and around Miami-Dade and Broward. Situations like negligent motorists driving at high speeds, for example, raise the chances of being involved in an accident which can lead to the need of filing an insurance claim for compensation, especially if bodily harm and damages are involved.
SOME COVID-19 SITUATIONS FACED BY RESIDENTS IN MIAMI
- Injuries from home-accidents during lock-down…
- Business owner facing coronavirus lawsuits for negligence or unlawful spread of COVID-19…
- Individuals unknowingly spread the coronavirus and causing you, friends, or relatives to catch COVID-19…
- Employees are fired or laid-off because of business shutdown due to the coronavirus…
- An employer owes employees past wages…
- Service providers are owed fees for services rendered before or throughout the COVID-19 pandemic…
- Suffered personal injury while bike riding, jogging, or walking amid the coronavirus lock-down…
- Passengers contract COVID-19 aboard cruise ships…
- Miami residents receive negligent healthcare while in a federal institution or correctional facility…
- Physical or mental abused in a nursing home…
- Any many other situations…
Based on insight gathered by the Perazzo Law Firm’s personal injury staff, and based guidelines provided by the CDC and FDA, the measures for avoiding COVID-19 lawsuits and keeping employees and customers safe.
In Miami, the Perazzo Law Firm will handle your insurance claim for compensation from injuries resulting from slips, falls, cuts, breaks and fractures from accidents that take place at homes and private residences. The best insurance claims lawyer in Miami is what Jonathan Perazzo strives to be and the entire Perazzo Law Firm staff is fully dedicated to fighting for just compensation from insurance providers for injuries, damages, and losses.
THE PERAZZO LAW FIRM – DEDICATED TO PUTTING YOUR INTERESTS FIRST!
ATENDEMOS A LA COMUNIDAD HISPANA EN MIAMI