COVID-19 Updates 3/15/2020

Some of you are questioning whether to exclude yourselves, your staff, and/or children who have recently traveled. The CDC provides extensive guidance for travelers, with recommendations leveled according to the area of travel and risk for exposure: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html. It is beyond my capacity to provide individual recommendations to cover every possible scenario; my best advice is the following:

• First, check the CDC travelers web page, focusing on the guidance specific to your travel

• If you have traveled, contact your personal healthcare provider to ask about risk of exposure and need for exclusion; recommend the same for your staff and families.

• Base any exclusion decisions on solid evidence, weighing the benefits and burdens of exclusion. Be consistent and be able to defend your decisions.

• Understand that as conditions change, so may the recommendations, so frequently check the CDC website.

Other questions include whether to exclude certain populations, such as pregnant staff, and if health/illness policies need to be stricter. Individuals need to take personal responsibility for their health, so they should check with their healthcare provider about their risk level and need for exclusion. Evidence-based health guidelines should sufficiently address the current COVID-19 concerns; I offer a sample health guideline on my website: http://nursingmaine.com/products.html.

 

Continue to conduct daily health checks on arrival, exclude for fever with cough, practice excellent hand hygiene, and be extra vigilant with cleaning and disinfecting protocols (using EPA-approved products). Everyone is understandably concerned; try to avoid sensational and unreliable media sources and instead refer to the CDC guidance. We need to maintain calm to make sure our children feel safe and secure in these uncertain times!

 

Stay well!

Deb