What to do if you are confined to home during a Coronavirus Outbreak in your Community?

We have local cases in our community, so we decided to have our local office to work from home this week. I looked up what to do and found this helpful information online from the CDC.

During an outbreak in your community, protect yourself and others by:

• Staying home from work, school, and all activities when you are sick with COVID-19 symptoms, which may include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.
• Keeping away from others who are sick.
• Limiting close contact with others as much as possible (about 6 feet).

Put your household plan into action

Stay informed about the local COVID-19 situation. Get up-to-date information about local COVID-19 activity from public health officials

Be aware of temporary school dismissals in your area, as this may affect your household’s daily routine.

Stay home if you are sick. Stay home if you have COVID-19 symptoms. If a member of your household is sick, stay home from school and work to avoid spreading COVID-19 to others.

• If your children are in the care of others, urge caregivers to watch for COVID-19 symptoms.

Continue practicing everyday preventive actions. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains 60% alcohol. Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily using a regular household detergent and water.

Use the separate room and bathroom you prepared for sick household members (if possible).Learn how to care for someone with COVID-19 at home. Avoid sharing personal items like food and drinks. Provide your sick household member with clean disposable facemasks to wear at home, if available, to help prevent spreading COVID-19 to others. Clean the sick room and bathroom, as needed, to avoid unnecessary contact with the sick person.

• If surfaces are dirty, they should be cleaned using a detergent and water prior to disinfection. For disinfection, a list of products with EPA-approved emerging viral pathogens claims, maintained by the CBC, is available at Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fighting Products
• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for all cleaning and disinfection products.

Stay in touch with others by phone or email. If you live alone and become sick during a COVID-19 outbreak, you may need help. If you have a chronic medical condition and live alone, ask family, friends, and health care providers to check on you during an outbreak. Stay in touch with family and friends with chronic medical conditions.

Take care of the emotional health of your household members. Outbreaks can be stressful for adults and children. Children respond differently to stressful situations than adults. Talk with your children about the outbreak, try to stay calm, and reassure them that they are safe.

Inform your workplace if you need to change your regular work schedule

Notify your workplace as soon as possible if your schedule changes. Ask to work from home or take leave if you or someone in your household gets sick with COVID-19 symptoms, or if your child’s school is dismissed temporarily.

Take the following steps to help protect your children during an outbreak

If your child/children become sick with COVID-19, notify their childcare facility or school. Talk with teachers about classroom assignments and activities they can do from home to keep up with their schoolwork.

Keep track of school dismissals in your community. Read or watch local media sources that report school dismissals. If schools are dismissed temporarily, use alternative childcare arrangements, if needed.

Discourage children and teens from gathering in other public places while school is dismissed to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

Article Information was taken from the CDC Website