Leon County COVID-19 Operational Update

March 9, 2020 As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve and spread with more than 110,000 cases globally, Leon County Emergency Management is committed to actively monitoring the disease and coordinating preparedness efforts with local health officials, healthcare providers, first responders, and other critical emergency response functions. Now is the time for everyone in Leon County to stay informed and stay prepared for any occurrence of COVID-19 or other respiratory illness. While no cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Leon County, and while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ruled Florida an area of low risk, now is the best time for residents and businesses to prepare. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Florida Department of Health is the lead agency and County Emergency Management serves in support of the local health experts. Further operational updates will be provided as conditions change and experts advise. Stay Informed on COVID-19 In coordination with the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) in Leon County, the County recommends the following sources to assist with community mitigation and preparedness. While health experts are working around the clock to learn more about COVID-19, you can also stay informed as new information becomes available. Also, FDOH has activated a Monday through Friday COVID-19 call center at (866) 779-6121, 24 hours a day. Also, the best resource for Florida-specific COVID-19 information remains the following FDOH website: www.FLHealth.gov/COVID-19. International Travel Advisory The Florida Department of Health is advising all individuals who have traveled internationally to follow the new CDC guidelines, summarized below: Level 3: Mandatory 14-day self-isolation and practice social distancing upon return to the United States. Social distancing includes avoiding going out in public and close personal interactions. If you become symptomatic, immediately self-isolate and contact your county health department or health care provider. Level 2 and Cruises: Monitor your health and limit interactions with others for 14 days after returning to the United States. If you become symptomatic, immediately self-isolate and contact your county health department or health care provider. For more information regarding current CDC travel advisories related to COVID-19, visit:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html Households Getting Your Household Ready for Coronavirus Disease – The Center for Disease Control offers guidance to help plan for any possible community transmission of COVID-19. We want to help everyone prepare to respond to this public health threat. Cleaning and Disinfecting Households – The Center for Disease Control states cleaning of visibly dirty surfaces followed by disinfection is a best practice measure for prevention of COVID-19 and other viral respiratory illnesses in households and community settings. Businesses Center for Disease Control – Interim Business and Workplace Guidance – This resource is from King County, Washington and is based on CDC guidance to employers. The guide walks business leaders through all the steps to plan, prepare, and if needed, implement action plans. Occupational Safety and Health Administration: Control and Prevention – OSHA provides general guidance for all U.S. workers and employers including those unlikely to have occupational exposures to COVID-19 and those with potential occupational exposures to COVID-19. The general guidance provides information about environmental decontamination and worker training and includes additional resources for specific groups and their employers. World Health Organization: Workplace Readiness – WHO experts produced a guide of simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. The guide provides simple precautions to implement now and planning measures to consider in case COVID-19 arrives in the community.  Topics include preventative measures, travel considerations, and contingency planning. Schools Leon County Schools: COVID-19 – Local resource from Leon County Schools that references important information and provides parents and students with important updates. Guidance for Administrations of Childcare and K-12 Schools – A CDC guide for administrators at both the school and district level to plan, prepare, and respond to COVID-19. This resource provides information for schools which do not have COVID-19 identified in their community and for schools with identified cases of COVID-19 in their communities. Healthcare Providers Clinical Guidance for Management of Patients with Confirmed COVID-19 – Offers information about the time from illness onset to hospital admission, clinical management, and treatment. Infection Prevention and Control – A CDC guide for healthcare settings to protect employees, patients, and visitors from unnecessary exposure to COVID-19. Strategies to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in Long-Term Care Facilities (LCTF) – General strategies from the CDC to prevent the introduction and/or spread of COVID-19 in LTCF. Many of the strategies suggested are used daily to detect and prevent the spread of other respiratory viruses like the flu. Travel Restrictions and Guidance CDC Information for Travel – Includes information about COVID-19 for travelers and travel-related industries and provides a risk assessment level per country. Travel Frequently Asked Questions and Answers – The CDC offers an in-depth frequently asked question page discussing airline and cruise travel, business travel, and guidance upon returning from travel. Department of State Travel Advisories – This online Department of State resource includes official travel advisories, information about screening procedures, and a list of embassy websites that provides the updated COVID-19 information on each country. Download the Leon County Citizens Connect Mobile Application – Relaunched in 2017, the Leon County Citizens Connect app puts timely emergency notifications at your fingertips through push notifications on your smartphone or other device. Be the first to know of any emergency management messaging or service changes by downloading the app on the Apple Store or the Google Play Store.Take Action to Stay Prepared Now is the time to be ready and reflect on your personal preparedness and plans. At this time, experts do not recommend social distancing or isolating yourself unless you are sick or suspect transmission. To remain well, practice good hygiene measures like washing your hands and using hand sanitizer with an alcohol content of 60 percent or greater. Also, it is not too late in the season to receive a flu vaccine, as recommended by the CDC. Getting sick back-to-back (from flu and another respiratory illness such as COVID-19) can be severely challenging. Mitigate your risk now. According to the CDC, the most effective ways to prevent transmission of not only COVID-19 but any respiratory illness is to avoid being exposed by washing your hands and cleaning regularly used surfaces (more info can be found here). For information about handwashing, see CDC’s Handwashing For information specific to healthcare, see CDC’s Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings. These are everyday habits that can help prevent the spread of several viruses. CDC does have specific guidance for travelers. For local businesses, the CDC also recommends the following guidance to prevent workplace exposures to acute respiratory illnesses in non-healthcare settings. These guidelines discuss sick leave, doctor’s notes, telecommuting and other considerations.Also, if you are a business owner, please consider posting proper handwashing posters and signs in your bathroom locations to encourage good hygiene. Leon County’s Emergency Management Role During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Florida Department of Health is the lead agency and County Emergency Management serves in support of the local health experts. Like with H1N1 swine flu (2009), Ebola (2014), and the Zika virus (2016), County Emergency Management serves as the coordinating and command liaison between our local Florida Department of Health and the many local and state agencies who help prepare and respond, such as law enforcement, schools, universities, tourism, and more. Like with previous communicable diseases, the Florida Department of Health is the lead agency at both the state and local levels, and health officials will be providing guidance and public information messaging at every stage. Beginning on Jan. 21, County Emergency Management staff began close coordination with the Florida Department of Health and other healthcare experts. Building on that coordinating role, Emergency Management now: Convenes regular coordinating calls with K-12 school, university, healthcare, and emergency response representatives to ensure continuity of operations and information exchange; Stands ready to activate the Emergency Operations Center to assist health experts in coordinating any public health emergency response, similar to the efforts before and after a natural disaster; Provides expert operational guidance across 18 different emergency support functions in support of the Florida Department of Health in Leon County’s operations and response; Receives regular statewide and local briefings on the developing situation; Coordinates joint information and messaging to ensure accurate, vetted, and unified messaging on COVID-19 and disease transmission. Continue to follow www.LeonCountyFL.gov/eip for any local updates or changes to services.