The rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has turned into a global health threat, which has also led to Bulgaria declaring a state of emergency. Preceding the latest developments of the situation, we acted fast and carefully planned and implemented several preventive measures to protect our community.
The health and wellbeing of our community and the public at large are our number one priority. Therefore, we are constantly monitoring the coronavirus developments, revisiting existing processes and establishing new ones. But we also believe that even in the hardest of times there is an opportunity – to learn something new, to instill a more creative approach, and to emerge stronger. Our members are the actual proof – we continue to support them every step of the way and celebrate their successes.
Here we’d like to share some of the measures we’ve introduced so far and could be helpful to other organizations, as well as some of the positive news coming from our community.
What precautionary measures did we take at first?
Long before the first confirmed cases in Bulgaria, we implemented the following best practices:
- Quadrupling the coverage of cleaning and disinfection
We’ve supplied additional disinfectants and alcohol-based soaps and increased cleaning of all meeting rooms, common areas, bathrooms, water dispensers, handrails, door handles, etc. Thus, regularly disinfecting the areas and surfaces people have the most contact with. Additionally, we’ve greatly increased the ventilation of all meeting rooms, intentionally sacrificing bookable availability in order to provide fresh air inside, as guided by the World Health Organization (WHO).
- Encouraging prompt reporting on trips and flu-like symptoms
In accordance with WHO’s recommendations, we’ve briefed our Campus X colleagues and encouraged them to report promptly on their and their close relatives’ past/planned trips to countries, including but not limited to the ones affected by the disease. Those who’ve been traveling, have flu symptoms or live with someone with such symptoms, were encouraged to work from home and self-quarantine for 2 weeks to limit any possibilities of a virus spread.
We have also recommended to our member companies to follow the same practices to ensure the safety of our community.
To provide uninterrupted services across domains within Campus X, we have fully segregated two workgroups within our team, one of which takes a two weeks onsite shift, while the other group supports them remotely. Keeping these task forces, completely separate (with no physical contact whatsoever), ensures we do not carry the risk of unnecessary exposure both to our team and all members of Campus X.
- Providing seamless tech experience for remote work
As we have continuously encouraged remote work options, we have also ensured we keep providing a seamless and uninterrupted tech experience to provision business continuity.
These include but are not limited to always-on Internet connectivity and constant power supply to VPN services and additional options to improve remote internal and cross-company collaboration. One example for the latter is free access to Slack’s conference call feature we’ve secured for all our members during the state of emergency.
- Limiting public events and some activities
We have postponed some of our events, and the rest moved online.
For instance, Dev.bg’s meetups are currently being held in the form of webinars, so that everyone can keep learning while staying safe at home. Also, Telerik Academy has temporarily transitioned all its current programs, entrance exams, and events online.
- Providing timely information and support
We have established Slack as a primary communication channel, where we provide timely updates and support to our community.
Augmenting the precautionary measures
After the national state of emergency was declared, we have further augmented some of the protective measures in the previous weeks:
Performing complete disinfection of the entire Campus X using a special long-lasting hospital-grade disinfectant.
Additionally Increasing the daily ventilation of meeting rooms.
Switching all financial transactions to bank transfers.
Monitoring for people who don’t feel well or have flu-like symptoms at reception to guarantee the wellbeing of the entire community.
Clear and timely communication of the official guidelines and best preventive practices to our members.
Our on-site restaurant Eddy’s Kitchen started operating in a take-away mode only, strictly following the authorities’ regulations.
Equipping our security and reception staff with all necessary protective measures and ensuring they don’t take public transport to work by offering taxi vouchers to those who don’t own a car.
Encouraging and supporting remote work
Taking into account the evolving situation, we’ve strongly encouraged and provisioned our member companies with opportunities for remote work. Our IT team is working hard to ensure the seamless transition to remote business operations.
Our key priorities in these circumstances are first and foremost the health and well-being of our community, along with supporting the seamless continuity of their business operations.
Keeping our community informed and inspired
In times of crisis, information is crucial. In the last weeks, it’s been our priority to inform and support the Campus X community.
We’ve delivered timely updates on any developments, as well as the globally recognized and recommended tips for prevention. To achieve that, we’ve utilized communication channels like email and Slack, among others. Furthermore, we’ve posted signs around our buildings to convey the recommendations of the World Health Organization on how we can protect each other and limit the spread of the disease.
Also, we’re continuously reporting on any precautionary measures we take, explaining the step by step process and the reasoning behind our decisions.
Lastly, we know that keeping the spirits high is more important than ever. That’s why we came up with a #daily-inspiration initiative in Slack. There we and our members share stories, which inspire positivity in these uncertain times.
We should not forget, that as difficult these times may seem, achievements are still made within our community and are just one of the many examples we can use to inspire us to plough through the weeks ahead:
Eleven Capital IPO was a success during the COVID-19 crisis. During these difficult times, they managed to close the subscription of shares for their initial public offering (IPO) and raised a bit over €1M (2.1M BGN).
Healee is helping people and doctors tackle the coronavirus spread through telemedicine. They’ve recently had a 250% hike in daily doctor and hospital registrations, along with a 300% jump in online consultations.
FindMeCure is giving access to clinical trial intelligence data related to the Coronavirus.
We’re stronger together
A huge thank you to our community for demonstrating its moral principles on a daily basis. That’s how we show our mindfulness and care for each other.
In these turbulent times, we must distance ourselves physically but stay united. That’s what makes us stronger – as a community, as a society, as human beings. Because together we can go through any difficulty and turn it into an opportunity.
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