The comprehensive guide ensures the safety of employees and consumers as retail stores and offices begin reopening across the globe.

• VF Corporation releases its 41-page COVID-19 Prevention Reference to help guide retail stores and offices with best practices as they begin reopening worldwide.
• From proper hygiene and social distancing practices to reducing occupancy and disinfecting standards, the guide is a detailed, comprehensive resource.
• VF began adapting to COVID-19 and closing stores and offices earlier this year with decision-making focused first on the safety of its people and consumers. The company has also donated more than $10.3 million in funds, products and services worldwide to support urgent medical needs and help the most vulnerable cope with the pandemic.

VF Corporation today releases its 41-page COVID-19 Prevention Reference, a comprehensive guide produced by its global health and safety team to help keep associates and consumers safe as retail stores and offices begin reopening worldwide.

Stores, offices, manufacturing and distribution facilities follow local and national safety regulations, but VF’s guide goes well beyond those standards to ensure the health and safety of every person who walks through its doors.

The company stated, “We are keenly focused on people first as we make decisions about reopening our stores and facilities across the globe. As we continue to navigate the evolution of this pandemic we want to be thoughtful and  go well beyond the basic standards to ensure the health and safety of our associates and consumers. We are part of a broader community and understand that our responsibilities extend beyond our own doors and therefore are happy to share our best practices with others in our industry and beyond.” 

The prevention guidelines provide best practices for facility cleaning, proper hygiene, how to use face masks, and social distancing procedures. Further, it offers protocol for handling confirmed case of COVID-19, a checklist for disinfecting spaces, and steps for contact tracing.

Beyond mandatory use of face masks and social distancing, VF will also limit occupancy in its buildings. Offices will see a phased return to work, modified work schedules to limit building occupancy to 20%, and a halt to large meetings.

Retail stores will practice social distancing, using floor decals and signs to remind shoppers to stay 6-feet apart. Store occupancy will be limited to 5% of the total allowed. Plexiglass barriers will protect consumers and associates where distancing is not possible. And while returns and exchanges will be allowed, they will not be restocked for 72 hours to ensure merchandise is virus free.

Distribution centers will maintain social distancing, see modified schedules to limit occupancy and a minimum of 20 minutes between shifts to allow for disinfecting.

With offices spanning the globe, VF began closing its doors earlier this year with a focus on caring for its associates, its consumers, and the communities in which it works.

The company has been using its size and scale to be a force for good, donating more than $10.3 million in funds, products and services worldwide to provide urgent medical needs and help the most vulnerable cope with the pandemic.

To view VF’s COVID-19 Prevention Reference, click here. And for more on VF’s work to provide pandemic assistance, visit vfc.com.