Six Feet of Separation in Reopening Offices Won’t Stop Virus

Reopening offices shuttered during the coronavirus pandemic won’t be as simple as moving chairs, cleaning carpets, and unlocking doors, workplace health and building management specialists are warning.

Businesses face a range of challenges to prevent the spread of the coronavirus causing Covid-19 disease as workplaces begin to reopen—from figuring out how to change air circulation patterns to deciding the fate of the community coffee pot.

But few Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules directly apply to offices, and voluntary guidance from government agencies has been sparse, said David Krause, principal toxicologist at Healthcare Contracting and Consulting Services in Tallahassee, Fla., ...