Follow the recommended guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Springfield-Greene County Health Department

Know how it spreads:

COVID-19 spreads easily from person to person, mainly by the following routes:

• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within 6 feet).
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, breathes, sings or talks.
• Respiratory droplets cause infection when they are inhaled or deposited on mucous membranes, such as those that line the inside of the nose and mouth.
• People who are infected but do not have symptoms can also spread the virus to others.

Less common ways COVID-19 can spread

• Under certain circumstances (for example, when people are in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation), COVID-19 can sometimes be spread by airborne transmission.

• COVID-19 spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces.

Everyone Should:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• It’s especially important to wash:
  • Before eating or preparing food
  • Before touching your face
  • After using the restroom
  • After leaving a public place
  • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
  • After handling your mask
  • After changing a diaper
  • After caring for someone sick
  • After touching animals or pets
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact

• Inside your home: Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • If possible, maintain 6 feet between the person who is sick and other household members.
• Outside your home: Put 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household.
  • Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread virus.
  • Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people.
  • Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Cover your mouth and nose with a mask when around others

• Masks help prevent you from getting or spreading the virus.
• You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick.
• Everyone should wear a mask in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
  • Masks should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
• Do NOT use a mask meant for a healthcare worker. Currently, surgical masks and N95 respirators are critical supplies that should be reserved for healthcare workers and other first responders.
• Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The mask is not a substitute for social distancing.

Cover coughs and sneezes

• Always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow and do not spit.
• Throw used tissues in the trash.
• Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Clean and disinfect

• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
• If surfaces are dirty, clean them. Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
• Then, use a household disinfectant. Most common EPA-registered household disinfectants will work.

Cleaning Tips from the Greene-County Health Department: https://www.springfieldmo.gov/5094/Cleaning-Tips 

Monitor Your Health Daily

• Be alert for symptoms. Watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Especially important if you are running essential errands, going into the office or workplace, and in settings where it may be difficult to keep a physical distance of 6 feet.
• Take your temperature if symptoms develop.
  • Don’t take your temperature within 30 minutes of exercising or after taking medications that could lower your temperature, like acetaminophen.

Follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and need to be tested, contact your healthcare provider.

If you have issues accessing testing, call the Greene county coronavirus call center: (417)-874-1211 or email [email protected]

Dial 2-1-1: ONE PHONE NUMBER. ONE PLACE TO FIND HELP.

Can't Connect to 2-1-1? Dial 800-427-4626

www.211Helps.org

In the U.S., state officials in 31 states have activated 211 and are directing the public to call or text with COVID-19 questions and for general assistance. State and local 211 agencies are  working closely with public health and emergency management officials and non-profit partners to provide up-to-date information to the public and connect people in need to services that are still available and open.

Understanding COVID-19:

                                                                                                                                                                                 

This unprecedented time is especially hard on those who are the most vulnerable. When we see unmet needs in our community, we take on a variety of roles to provide critical support, and our collaborative community makes that possible. In 2020, the needs associated with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have been top of mind for many of us. United Way of the Ozarks’ goal to fight for the lifelong health of every person in our community is more important now than ever.

Learn about our efforts to meet the needs of our community during the coronavirus pandemic.

It is important to United Way, our staff, volunteers and the people we serve that everyone take precautions when volunteering. We value that individuals and groups want to volunteer in this time of need; however, personal health and safety are always of primary importance.

We encourage everyone to review and follow the recommendations, advice and guidelines set forth by the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Greene County Health Department.

If you are feeling ill, exhibiting symptoms or feel more comfortable serving from home, please consider ways to volunteer virtually or remotely to limit the potential for viral transmission. Please consider the following:

• Give. Contributing money is one of the most important actions any individual or group can take to help right now.  Consider the COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund: https://app.mobilecause.com/form/a5Vshw?vid=eg6ja
• Evaluate risk. Do not volunteer if you are uncomfortable with the level of risk of an activity, if you live with or are in frequent contact with people in higher-risk categories for the virus, or if you are feeling ill or feel you might have been exposed to or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. 
• Safety first. Ensure your safety and that of others by practicing universal infection control precautions including the use of personal protective equipment, washing your hands and maintaining a safe physical distance from others. If volunteering online, make sure you do not ask for or reveal any sensitive or personal information with others.
• Be patient. Expect that shifts or opportunities may be delayed, postponed or cancelled. Please be gracious and understanding of the rapid and unexpected changes taking place during this crisis.
• Donate Blood. As of December 2020, The American Red Cross and the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks faces a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations during the pandemic.
• 

In the U.S., state officials in 31 states have activated 211 and are directing the public to call or text with COVID-19 questions and for general assistance. State and local 211 agencies are  working closely with public health and emergency management officials and non-profit partners to provide up-to-date information to the public and connect people in need to services that are still available and open.

Common questions have shifted from health questions -- where and how to get tested, symptoms and clarification about the spread of the virus, fact-checking that there are no vaccines available -- to economic questions. People are calling about where to find food, financial assistance and how to make the rent or keep the lights on. As more people lose wages and jobs, communities are looking to United Way for help. In many communities, school officials are coordinating with United Way to figure out how to help educate children and how to ensure they have healthy meals.

Learn more at: https://www.211.org/services/covid19