COVID in the Break Room?

[adventure_rn]

Apparently in my hospital, the majority of employee covid cases are coming from staff-to-staff transmission, not patient-to-staff.

Our employer has encouraged us to wear our masks in the break room, but...how are we supposed to eat? On my unit, social distancing isn't really possible, since we have 30 staff per shift with a tiny break room. Also, nobody is wiping down the table with Clorox before or after they eat.

Is anybody else getting this feedback from their admin? I honestly don't know what the solution is.

[Wuzzie]

28 minutes ago, OUxPhys said:

The best thing to do is limit how many are in the break room at one time, stay 6ft apart, and wipe everything down constantly.

Which would work if we have enormous break rooms but we don't. In order to limit staff we would have to start lunches at 0830.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

We have a unit that has been hit so hard it can't meet minimum staffing requirements. What happened? yep - everyone unmasking and eating together in the break room. It's a conundrum, to be sure.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

They really need to provide a safe work environment for you if there are so many people in a break room. It's up to you to wear a mask and social distance but if it isn't possible they need to come up with an answer other than to wear a mask when you eat.

Where I work one unit had 10 Covid positive nurses, one of which had to be hospitalized and another with asthma was sick for several weeks. Not saying this was the cause but tracing revealed a crew party in the break room.

So I believe it really is a thing.

I'm lucky I can eat alone since I tend to eat earlier than coworkers.

[eggyweggy, MSN, RN]

Our management took chairs out of our breakroom and offered up a few other spaces for meals, but the other spaces don't have a fridge/microwave/etc so people don't like to use them. I avoid the other options too -- I don't want to heat up my lunch in one space and then have to walk through the unit with it. So, I try to take my lunch around 1100. On almost every unit I've ever worked, this seems to be a low traffic time because most people prefer to eat at 1200 or 1300. If management wants people to be compliant with social distancing during breaks, they need to provide appropriate space for it. It's not reasonable to deny people breaks, limit breaks, or mandate breaks to occur at inconvenient times like lunch at 0830.

Ironically, my covid+ unit has had the fewest staff cases for any of the inpatient units in my hospital. A bunch of people have been out on quarantine for medium-risk exposure from sharing breakroom space with them, but there haven't actually been any staff-to-staff transmissions on my unit.

[NurseBlaq]

On 6/15/2020 at 5:39 PM, pixierose said:

(it helps us get a break from all the PPE - I work on a COVID floor and it’s nice to pee once in a while too)

?

[Ele_123]

Our manager reminded us to social distance while on lunch. Due to our staffing or lack of in order to maintain minimum floor coverage we have few enough people on break if we sit at opposite ends of the table we are automatically social distancing, but occasionally a 3rd person overlaps with 2 of us.

[NormaSaline]

A solution really needs to be found. I often go outside as I think it's the safest place. I sympathize with people's need to breathe freely without a mask and of course to eat. But what's the point of all the mask wearing the rest of the day if during breaks we are giving coronavirus to each other? They need to find large enough spaces (again, for me outdoors is best) where people can safely space out to eat and drink. These days I eat in a hurry and then quickly get my mask back on. I'm not there to luxuriate in lunch or dinnertime. Eating is risky business, and I realize that this will be over at some point.

[DotardsToupe]

On 6/15/2020 at 10:19 AM, Wuzzie said:

Unfortunately in the middle of all this the last thing they care about is us getting lunch. We can go to the union, and we will if we have to. Right now we are biding our time to see just how strongly she enforces it.

Considering the virus is airborne I'm not sure I'd be spending any time I didn't have to in a poorly ventilated break room where people hadn't been wearing masks for any reason. while you're at it with the union, may consider asking about reverse airflow feasibility or at least some mega HVAC filters.

[Wuzzie]

33 minutes ago, DotardsToupe said:

while you're at it with the union, may consider asking about reverse airflow feasibility or at least some mega HVAC filters.

Never going to happen.

[DotardsToupe]

58 minutes ago, Wuzzie said:

Never going to happen.

Well then, I'd suppose you must your chances or you skip lunch, eh?

[NurseBlaq]

Never thought I'd see the day where hospitals become one of the most dangerous places to be during a pandemic.

[Wuzzie]

7 hours ago, DotardsToupe said:

Well then, I'd suppose you must your chances or you skip lunch, eh?

Well, since "lunch" is a rather nebulous concept in nursing most of us don't even know what we're missing.