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Guidance for Parents
Prevention
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Teach children to appropriately cover coughs and sneezes.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces.
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
- If your child is sick, keep them at home and contact your healthcare provider.
Social distancing
- Discourage children and teens from gathering in other public places while school is dismissed to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community.
- Limit close contact with others as much as possible (about 6 feet).
Cleaning
- Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas.
- Clean dirty surfaces with soap and water OR bottled ready-to-use cleaner first. Products that clean well include dish soap, Formula 409, OxiClean, and Windex.
- After cleaning, disinfect surfaces to kill the virus and allow to dry completely. For hard surfaces, use bottled disinfectants like Clorox Cleaner with Bleach, Lysol, or mix your own (1/3 c regular bleach to 1 gal water). For porous surfaces, use a disinfectant appropriate for material (see label). When doing laundry, wash according to label using warmest setting possible and allow to dry completely in a clothes dryer.
Planning, looking ahead
- Create a household plan of action
- Be prepared if your child’s school or childcare facility is temporarily dismissed.
- Talk with your employer about sick leave and telework options in case you need to stay home with your child.
- Consider planning for alternate childcare arrangements.
- Make sure you have access to several weeks of medications and supplies in case you need to stay home.
What to do if you have a confirmed case
- Call your child’s doctor if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness.
- Stay home from school and away from other public places.
- Choose a separate room and bathroom in your home that can be used to separate sick household members from those who are healthy.
- If your child/children become sick with COVID-19, notify their childcare facility or school.
- Take care of the emotional health of your household members.Outbreaks can be stressful for adults and children. Talk about them, try to stay calm and reassure them they are safe.