Are You Ready For COVID-19 Now?

You can take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by doing the following things:

• Practice social distancing. This means keeping a distance of about 6 feet between you and other people.

• Avoid crowds.

• Stay home. Skip community events and gatherings.

• If you work, work from home if you can.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

• Avoid contact with people who are sick.

• If you are sick, stay home and avoid close contact with others.

• Cover your mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.

Take everyday precautions:

• washing hands.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Clean your hands often.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, or having been in a public place.

• If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

• To the extent possible, avoid touching high-touch surfaces in public places – elevator buttons, door handles, handrails, handshaking with people, etc. Use a tissue or your sleeve to cover your hand or finger if you must touch something.

• Wash your hands after touching surfaces in public places.

• Avoid touching your face, nose, eyes, etc.

• Clean and disinfect your home to remove germs: practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces (for example: tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks & cell phones).

• Avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. Your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who are sick.

• Avoid all non-essential travel including plane trips, and especially avoid embarking on cruise ships.

If COVID-19 is spreading in your community:

• Practice social distancing and stay away from anyone who is sick and Take extra measures to put distance between yourself and other people to further reduce your risk of being exposed to this new virus.

• Stay home as much as possible.

• If you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 because of your age or because you have a serious long-term health problem, it is extra important for you to take actions to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease.

• Stock up on supplies.

• Take everyday precautions to keep space between yourself and others.

• When you go out in public, keep away from others who are sick, limit close contact and wash your hands often.

• Avoid crowds as much as possible.

• Avoid cruise travel and non-essential air travel.

• During a COVID-19 outbreak in your community, stay home as much as possible to further reduce your risk of being exposed.

• Have supplies on hand.

• Prescription medicines and groceries.

• Contact your healthcare provider to ask about obtaining extra necessary medications to have on hand in case there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in your community and you need to stay home for a prolonged period of time.

• If you cannot get extra medications, consider using mail-order for medications.

• Be sure you have over-the-counter medicines and medical supplies (tissues, etc.) to treat fever and other symptoms. Most people will be able to recover from COVID-19 at home.

• Have enough household items and groceries on hand so that you will be prepared to stay at home for a period of time.