As we stay home to reduce the spread of COVID-19, it’s important to understand how we can reduce the risk of infection within our household. Please note the following suggestions:

Make a game plan

• Designate one person to be your errand-runner to limit your outside exposures
• Plan ahead, make a list of what you need for the week and limit your trips to the grocery store if possible.

When you’re out       

• Avoid coming within less than six feet of others
• Wipe handles on carts or baskets while shopping
• You don’t have to have gloves or a mask — just wash your hands frequently while you’re out and avoid touching your face

 When you get back       

• Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds
• Sanitize your phone and other items frequently touched while out
• Thoroughly wash produce before putting it in your kitchen

 Disinfect       

• Disinfect everything you touch — doorknobs, light switches, keys, phone, keyboards, remotes, etc.
• Use disinfectant cleaners and leave surfaces wet for 3-5 minutes

 Delivery       

• Ask workers to drop deliveries off on your doorstep or an area of your complex
• If they need you to come to the door, keep six feet of distance
• Pay and tip online when possible
• After you pick up mail from your mailbox, wash your hands

Laundry       

• Wash clothes, towels and linens regularly on the warmest setting
• Disinfect your laundry hamper or place a removable liner inside it
• Don’t shake dirty laundry to avoid dispersing the virus in the air

Guests       

• You shouldn’t allow guests over right now
• If you need to house a family member or friend, avoid shared living spaces as much as you can
• If they need to enter shared living spaces, ask them to keep six feet of distance 

 If someone in your home gets sick       

• First, consult your doctor
• Find another space in your house for them to sleep and recover, if you have two bathrooms designate one for their use only. 
• Disinfect frequently touched surfaces every day 
• Avoid sharing items with them 
• Wear gloves when washing their laundry and immediately dispose of them afterwords. If you do not have gloves wash your hands after with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. 
• Continue to wash your hands frequently

 Supplies you’ll need       

• Cleaning supplies
• If you don’t have disinfectants, make a bleach solution:           
  • Mix four teaspoons bleach per quart of water; or
  • Use a 70% alcohol solution
  • It is unsafe to mix household cleaners you already have as it can cause damaging chemical reactions.  
• Laundry detergent
• Trash bags 
• Prescription medicines 
• Canned foods — fruits, veggies, beans
• Dry goods — breads, pastas, nut butters
• Frozen foods — meats, veggies, fruits
• Please don’t purchase more than you need for a two week period. If you need further support while you are self-isolating, please see the Community Resources Section of this Website

        Pets       

• Supervise your pet in your backyard
• It’s okay to go out with your pets — just keep your distance from other humans
• If you’re sick, ask someone you live with to take care of them while you recover
• If you must care for them while you’re sick, wash your hands frequently
• Ask others to not touch your pet at this time

Sources:       

• Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore City Health Commissioner and an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University in Washington.
• Dr. Koushik Kasanagottu, an internal medicine resident physician at John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and who is among the thousands of health care professionals treating patients with coronavirus.
• Dr. Richard Kuhn, a virologist, director of the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease and editor-in-chief of the journal “Virology.” 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.