What to Do if You Develop COVID-19 Symptoms Safety Talk
If you are experiencing symptoms of cold, flu or other possibly infectious or contagious illnesses, please follow the guidelines listed below and help stop any spread to other individuals, family and other workers you may come in contact with.
Stay home
By staying home and restricting your activities, you can concentrate on following the proper medical care advice and work towards a complete recovery. Only through proper rest, medications, and staying hydrated, can you give your body time to heal itself and return to a normal activity schedule.
Separate yourself from others
Remember to isolate yourself from family members and pets by staying in a separate room and limiting interactions with a caregiver. This way, other family members will be less likely to come down with the same illness affecting you. Pets, while comforting during this time, interact with all family and could inadvertently carry germs from you to others in your household.
Seek medical attention
If your condition warrants or gets worse, seek medical attention. Contact your licensed health care provider and give them your symptoms. They may then wish to schedule a time that would limit exposure to other patients and staff to minimize exposure and possible infections.
Wear a facemask
By wearing a facemask when you are around other people, you can help prevent the spread of your symptoms to others. If you have any difficulty in wearing or breathing through a facemask, then limiting your contact with others is imperative. Ask your caregivers to also take precautions and wear protective garments and gloves. Remind them to wash their hands after interactions and dispose of or properly clean any exposed garments and/or gloves that have been used.
Cover your cough
By covering your coughs and sneezes, you prevent airborne transmission of the germs that could infect others. Disposing of spent tissues in a trash receptacle also helps limit germs from reaching others. It is important to wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds and/or use proper hand sanitizer until hands are dry after disposing of tissues and covering a cough.
Don't share any items
The items that you touch and then could be touched by others could inadvertently transmit your germs to unsuspecting persons. It is important to not share items such as glasses, dishes and other utensils without first cleaning and sanitizing them. Don’t share towels, pillows and bedding that could also contaminate others.
Wash your hands
Reiterating, it is of utmost importance to wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds and/or use proper hand sanitizer until hands are dry after disposing of tissues and covering a cough. You should clean visibly dirty hands and also remember to not touch your face—especially eyes, nose and mouth—to risk further contamination.
Clean all surfaces frequently and urgently
Use disposable wipes or disinfecting spray to clean counters, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures and other items that you touch. Use alcohol disinfecting wipes to clean your phone and smart devices and to wipe off computer keyboards. Use gloves while cleaning to help prevent accidental exposure and follow all manufacturers instructions related to the cleaning agent you use.
Important: NEVER MIX AMMONIA CLEANING AGENTS WITH BLEACH-CONTAINING PRODUCTS AS THIS CAN RESULT IN TOXIC VAPORS!
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