In the midst of curbing the spread of COVID-19, vaccination plans have rolled out globally, albeit slowly. Singapore is no exception as over 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered as of March 23, 2021.
While there have been reports of new variants of COVID-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) believes that the current supply of vaccines can provide some protection against new virus variants. This is because the vaccines elicit a broad immune response involving a range of antibodies and cells.
If any of the current vaccines prove to be less effective against one or more variants, the composition of the vaccines may be altered to protect the global population against these variants.
That said, let’s explore the dangers of contracting COVID-19 and learn how some rental companies step up their actions to ensure that the vehicles they rent out are safe for use.
What are the dangers of contracting COVID-19?
First discovered in December 2019, COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. The virus is thought to spread mainly between people who are in close contact with one another, and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
Symptoms of this disease include fever, dry cough, fatigue, loss of taste and smell, nasal congestion, sore throat, headache, muscle or joint pain, nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea, and chills. Meanwhile, symptoms of severe COVID-19 include shortness of breath, loss of appetite, pressure in the chest, and high temperature (high fever).
As with any infectious disease, there are dangers of contracting the COVID-19 virus, especially if you’re 60 years old and above, and/or have underlying medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart and lung problems, diabetes, obesity, or cancer.
Among those who develop symptoms of this virus, about 80% recover from the disease without needing hospital treatment, 15% become seriously ill and require respiratory support, and 5% become critically ill and require intensive care.
In some cases, complications during hospital treatment can lead to death which may include respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), sepsis and septic shock, thromboembolism, and/or multi-organ failure, including injury of the heart, liver or kidneys.
People who have had COVID-19 may continue to experience some of the symptoms including fatigue, respiratory, and neurological symptoms. That said, prevention is better than cure as we wait for our vaccination doses.
How are rental companies stepping up their cleaning and disinfecting actions?
While the global population are urged to maintain the highest level of hygiene by wearing a mask, washing their hands frequently, keeping the ideal physical distance from others, and avoiding crowded places or closed settings, vehicle rental companies in Singapore are also doing their part to ensure that consumers can safely travel within the country.
Among the efforts that rental companies are taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are:
– Enforcing the disease prevention measures
– Encouraging sick staff to stay home
– Stepping up cleaning and disinfecting procedure
– Encouraging the use of sanitising and cleaning products
– Developing policies and technology options that allow contactless transactions
Enforcing disease prevention measures
Since the disease outbreak, masks are required to be worn always in public settings, except when you’re at home or in your own vehicle. However, it’s best to wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This is because masks can prevent people who don’t know they have the virus from transmitting it to others.
Encouraging sick staff to stay home
If your staff is sick or showing some of the symptoms, it’s best to let them stay home and recover. That way, you can prevent the spread of any sickness within your vehicle rental company and limit the number of contact persons.
Stepping up cleaning and disinfecting procedure
When you’re in the vehicle rental business, you should step up the cleaning and disinfecting process of frequently touched surfaces such as the steering wheel, gear shift, door frame/handles, windows, handlebars, gears, braking handles, locks, and seat belt buckles before renting out the vehicle.
Encouraging the use of sanitising and cleaning products
When there’s no access to handwashing facilities, hand sanitisers and disposable wipes can be handy. This is so that your customers can have peace of mind while driving their rented vehicles. On top of that, they can use the hand sanitiser or disposable wipes to sanitise any of the surfaces they deem necessary.
Developing policies and technology options that allow contactless transactions
For many businesses, face-to-face customer contact plays an essential part of the business. While the pandemic has made this challenging, contactless transactions is another way for businesses to maintain their customer interaction. Having policies like a drop-off point and upgrading some of your technology can increase your customer’s confidence.
If you’re looking for a passenger van for rental or long term van rental in Singapore, consider Edmund Vehicle Rental as it’s one of the few rental companies that cleans and disinfects all their vehicles after every use to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Edmund Vehicle Rental provides three types of passenger vans to suit your rental purposes – an 11-seater, a 12-seater, or a 14-seater passenger van. The 11-seater van is on a manual transmission while the 12-seater and 14-seater are on an automatic transmission. Contact us at (65) 6250 3339 or email enquiries@edmundvehiclerental.com.sg to rent one today!
