2019 Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19)

Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. You can get COVID-19 during your travels. You may feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can still spread COVID-19 to others. You and your travel companions (including children) may spread COVID-19 to other people including your family, friends, and community for 14 days after you were exposed to the virus. Don’t travel if you are sick or if you have been around someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days. Don’t travel with someone who is sick. More information about travel can be found here.

As part of a strategy aimed to limited continued COVID-19 spread in US communities, the US government has has issued travel health notices on the CDC website here. Traveling Abroad? Check CDC’s COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination before planning your trip.

Guidance for Social Distancing 

During your trip, take steps to protect yourself and others from COVID-19:

• Wear a mask to keep your nose and mouth covered when in public settings, including on public transportation and in transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
• Avoid close contact by staying at least 6 feet apart (about 2 arms’ length) from anyone who is not from your household.
• Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol).
• Avoid contact with anyone who is sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Resources:

• 14-Day Symptom Monitoring Log (简体中文)
• What To Do If You Are Sick with COVID-19 Information Sheet (简体中文) (CDC)
• Please visit https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/ for the most up-to-date and accurate information about COVID-19 in Texas.
• Please visit the CDC website for the most up-to-date information nationally.

If you need to seek medical care for other reasons, such as dialysis, call ahead to your doctor and tell them about any recent travel.

What Schools Can Do

• See the DCHHS K-12 School Reopening guidance below under public health resources.
• Schools should report positive COVID-19 cases of students and staff to DCHHS using the case report form below.

Public Health Resources

• DCHHS K-12 School Reopening Guidance, 9/11/20
• DCHHS COVID-19 Screening Tool for K-12 School Settings, 8/11/20
• COVID-19 Case Report Form for School, 9/22/20
• DCHHS Interim Recommendations for Childcare Programs and Providers, 7/19/20

Guidance from the CDC

• Interim Guidance for Childcare Programs and K-12 Schools
• Resources for K-12 Schools and Childcare Programs (CDC)
• Resources for Institutes of Higher Education (CDC) for Colleges and Universities

Infographics and Helpful Resources

• Stop the Spread of Germs (CDC)
• Does your school's infection control plan stand up to COVID-19? (Texas Medical Association)
• Decision Tree Tool For School Nurses (Texas Medical Association)
• School Attendance, Asthma and COVID-19 (American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology)

Planning Considerations

Plan, Prepare & Respond (CDC)

Businesses should review their Continuity of Operations Plan or Business Continuity Plan. 

A Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) or Business Continuity Plan (BCP) outlines the job or service functions that are essential to keeping the business operational. Essential functions are often tied to public safety and health, job functions tied to laws or administrative codes and those functions that keep the business open. A healthy COOP or BCP plan will include: details of the essential functions; key staff who perform the essential functions; list of essential records, contracts and important information needed to keep the functions running; cross-trained personnel who can perform essential functions.

Businesses should prepare for social distancing and absenteeism

Businesses should include ways to reduce interactions amongst employees. Explore whether you can establish policies and practices, such as flexible worksites, teleworking, flexible work hours (e.g., staggered shifts), to increase the physical distance among employees and between employees.

Be flexible with employees who become ill. It’s important that employees with signs of respiratory illness (fever and cough) stay home and seek medical care. Some employees with recent travel to areas with high case numbers may be placed under quarantine for 14 days.

DO NOT require proof of a negative COVID-19 test before employees return to work.  

For more guidance on COOP or BCP planning, visit ready.gov/business 

Response Considerations

Provide alcohol-based (60%) hand sanitizers for use for both employees and customers by placing them at convenient/accessible locations.

Actively encourage sick employees to stay home:

• Dallas County Health and Human Services recommends employees who have COVID-19 symptoms to follow the CDC guidelines for what to do if you are sick. This recommendation applies regardless of whether the individual has been tested for COVID-19 and is advised to reduce overall risk of transmission of flu-like symptoms before returning to work. Employees should notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick.
• Ensure that your sick leave policies are flexible and consistent with public health guidance and that employees are aware of these policies.
• Talk with companies that provide your business with contract or temporary employees about the importance of sick employees staying home and encourage them to develop non-punitive leave policies.
• Do NOT require a healthcare provider’s note for employees who are sick with acute respiratory illness to validate their illness or to return to work, as healthcare provider offices and medical facilities may be extremely busy and not able to provide such documentation in a timely way.
• Do NOT require a negative COVID-19 test for employees to return to work.
• Public Health WILL NOT contact every business to notify them of employees who are positive for COVID-19. Notification to businesses depends on case investigation information, potential exposure and whether the employee was in a high-risk job (e.g., healthcare).
• Employers should maintain flexible policies that permit employees to stay home to care for a sick family member. Employers should be aware that more employees may need to stay at home to care for sick children or other sick family members than is usual.
• Encourage sick staff to use telehealth if available.

Separate sick employees:

• CDC recommends that employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath) upon arrival to work or become sick during the day should be separated from other employees and be sent home immediately. While at work, sick employees should cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or an elbow or shoulder if no tissue is available).
• Have sick employees follow CDC guidelines for what to do if you are sick.

Emphasize staying home when sick, respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene by all employees:

• Place posters that encourage staying home when sick, cough and sneeze etiquette, and hand hygiene at the entrance to your workplace and in other workplace areas where they are likely to be seen.
• Provide tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles for use by employees.
• Instruct employees to clean their hands often with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60-95% alcohol,or wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.
• Provide soap and water and alcohol-based hand rubs in the workplace. Ensure that adequate supplies are maintained. Place hand rubs in multiple locations or in conference rooms to encourage hand hygiene.
• Visit the coughing and sneezing etiquette and clean hands webpage for more information.

Perform routine environmental cleaning:

• Routinely clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label.
• Provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces (for example, doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks) can be wiped down by employees before each use.

Advise employees before traveling to take certain steps:

• Check the CDC’s Traveler’s Health Notices for the latest guidance and recommendations for each country to which you will travel. Specific travel information for travelers going to and returning from China, and information for aircrew, can be found at on the CDC website.
• Advise employees to check themselves for symptoms of acute respiratory illness before starting travel and notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick.
• Ensure employees who become sick while traveling or on temporary assignment understand that they should notify their supervisor and should promptly call a healthcare provider for advice if needed.
• If outside the United States, sick employees should follow your company’s policy for obtaining medical care or contact a healthcare provider or overseas medical assistance company to assist them with finding an appropriate healthcare provider in that country. A U.S. consular officer can help locate healthcare services. However, U.S. embassies, consulates, and military facilities do not have the legal authority, capability, and resources to evacuate or give medicines, vaccines, or medical care to private U.S. citizens overseas

Restaurants and other food businesses can find CDC guidance here.

• Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to 2019 Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)
• CDC guidance for Travelers and Airline Crew provides interim recommendations for the commercial airline industry about the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)
• Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations for U.S. Community Facilities with Suspected/Confirmed COVID-19 (CDC)
• Please see the following CDC link for business/employer guidance and cleaning and disinfection recommendations: Resources for Businesses and Employers (CDC)

OSHA

• Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 (OSHA)