The Global Calgary newsroom is just one example of a workplace that sounds a lot quieter and looks a lot different during the COVID-19 pandemic, with employees spread out both across the building and, for some, across the entire city.
The Global Calgary news team, from anchors to photographers to online journalists, have had to adjust to a different way of working. Here’s a look at the various ways the news station is adapting to the COVID-19 health measures to keep all employees, as well as those we interview, safe.
While Alberta Health Services says anchors don’t have to wear a face mask while reading the news, any time two Global News anchors sit on the news desk, a removable plastic barrier sits between them.
The weather and traffic anchors are also positioned at least two metres away from the news desk, and from each other.
Throughout the rest of the station, employees are required to wear masks unless they’re seated at their designated desks.
To help with physical distancing, and contact tracing should it need to be done, every staff member is assigned to a desk and the majority of work stations are closed.
Most employees are working from home, though, meaning the newsroom has far fewer people in it than there has been in the past.
The only people physically coming into the office are those who can’t work remotely without having a significant impact on the day-to-day operations at Global, like producers and control room staff.
Reporters and photographers are also primarily working in the field, and if they have to cover an event, they maintain a safe physical distance from others and follow thorough sanitization protocols.
“The health and safety of our employees is our number one priority,” Alexandra Henderson, Corus vice-president news, local stations, said.
“From the very early days of the pandemic, Corus moved the vast majority of our employees out of our stations to work from home.
“Our internal COVID-19 core committee offers ongoing protocol guidance to those employees who are essential and required to work onsite. We continue to follow the restrictions and guidelines directed by local public health authorities.”
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