Department of Public Health and Environment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Be Prepared for Illness in your Household
CONTACT: Susan Lilly, Public Information Officer, San Miguel County
970-729-2028 susanl@sanmiguelsheriff.org
(March 14, 2020) -- San Miguel County, CO – San Miguel County Public Health and Environment health officials are encouraging members of the community to develop household plans and prepare for illness.
Based on government guidelines, county public health officials suggest you:
- Develop a household plan in the event a member gets sick. Define individual roles to help meet the needs of each person.
- Choose a room, if possible, that can be used to separate sick household members from those who are healthy.
- Talk with your neighbors about emergency planning, assisting each other and sharing resources if needed.
- Create an emergency contact list that includes important contacts and other community resources.
“We don’t want people to wait until they or a family member is sick to get prepared for the consequences,” County Medical Officer Dr. Sharon Grundy said.
County Public Health Director Grace Franklin strongly recommends anyone with a cough, fever, or cold or flu symptoms stay at home and in isolation from other members of the household, except to seek medical care.
“We are considering anyone with symptoms like these high risk of the coronavirus,” Franklin said. “At the very least, they need to stay home and stay away from healthy members of their households.” It’s possible a more formal self-isolation protocol would be recommended as well.
“Self-Isolation” separates sick people who are contagious from people who are not sick.
“Quarantine” separates and restricts the movement of people believed to have been exposed to the coronavirus to see if they become sick.
Both can last up to 14 days, and in either situation, the ability to do normal errands such as grocery shopping is restricted, as is contact with others.
To additionally prepare in the event you become sick, it is recommended you have enough food, water, and prescription medication to last two weeks as well as Gatorade, Pedialyte, and over the counter medications to treat cold and cough symptoms.
Health officials are also emphasizing everyone be vigilant about practicing good personal health habits including:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick with any illness.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, and objects such as cell phones.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds at a time.
“We need people to take this seriously and do their part to help prevent the spread of this virus,” Franklin said.
For more county information and to sign up for coronavirus alerts go to sanmiguelcountyco.gov/coronavirus.
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To protect and preserve the health and environment by providing high-quality public health care services and environmental protection services to the people of San Miguel County.