Health Protocol for Volunteers
As we navigate through these challenging and unsettling circumstances due to the current COVID-19 (novel Coronavirus) the outbreak, we realize that many of you have questions and concerns. Please rest assured that our local medical center leaders are hard at work to support the needs of the organization and will provide real-time updates as decisions are made and solutions are identified.
You can volunteer if you:
- Are in good overall health
- Have not had a temperature of 100.4 or greater
- No flu-like symptoms
- No diarrhea
- No recent or prolonged exposure of flu
- No recent or prolonged exposure of Coronavirus
- All volunteers as asked to continually monitor all of the above guidelines, especially checking their own temperatures, to assure we are not spreading the virus even in our attempts to meet basic critical needs.
- Given the short supply of hand sanitizer, it is helpful if you bring a trial size portion for your own use in order to stretch our community's supply. However, be assured that there will be hand sanitizer at every site where you volunteer.
You should not volunteer if you:
- Have been exposed to someone with the flu or Coronavirus
- Have a fever
- Over the age of 65+ years
- Have a health condition (i.e. heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes) or diagnoses that have weakened your immune systems
- If you are a college student returning home and looking to volunteer, we ask that you self-quarantine and remain fever-free for 14 days before joining any in-person volunteer effort.
Learn What To Do If You're Sick:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov
Forsyth County Department of Public Health: https://www.forsyth.cc/PublicHealth/novel_coronavirus.aspx
NC Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-response-north-carolina
What precautions should I take as a volunteer:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or when soap and water are not readily available use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching your face – eyes, mouth, and nose.
- Wash or sanitize between each contact and as soon as possible after touching surfaces.
- Avoid close proximity to others. You should be spaced at least 6-ft apart.
- All volunteers must wear masks while on site. Our partners are working hard to be sure we have extra masks, but volunteers are asked to secure their own masks if possible that are rated either n-95 or have a thread count of 180-thread.
- Wear gloves when coming in contact with food or in volunteering tasks. Wash hands before gloves are put on and after they are removed. Change gloves when they are soiled or torn.
- Commit to memory six steps to avoid the spread of COVID-19 while volunteering; CLICK HERE for those steps.
What if I think I have COVID-19, or a family member may have the illness?
It’s important that you follow the CDC’s steps to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community:
- Stay home except to get medical care. People with mild illness from COVID-19 can isolate at home during their illness. Do not go to work, school or daycare.
- Contact your physician or the facility where you receive medical care.
- Monitor your symptoms. Seek prompt medical attention if your illness worsens (for example, you have difficulty breathing).
- Call ahead before visiting a doctor. Call your provider and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19. This will help prevent other people at the provider’s office from getting infected or exposed.
- Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home. As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from others in your home. Also use a separate bathroom, if available.
- Wear a facemask when you are around other people or pets and before entering your health care provider’s office. If you are not able to wear a facemask, people who live with you should not stay in the same room with you or should wear a facemask if they enter your room.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, and throw away used tissues in a lined trash can. Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol.
- Clean your hands often. You can use soap and water or, if not available, a hand rub containing alcohol.
- Avoid sharing personal household items, like dishes, drinking glasses, eating utensils, towels or bedding with other people or pets in your home. After using, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.
- Clean all “high-touch” surfaces every day. These include counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables. Also clean any surfaces with blood, stool or body fluids on them. Use a household cleaning spray or wipe.
