Daily Briefing, April 04, 2020

• The CDC and our local government have issued additional protocols and mandates.
• We will try to outline them for you as succinctly as possible
• Let’s start with the CDC – The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention have come out with the following recommendations
  • The CDC is now recommending that everyone wear a face cover in public.
  • The mask will help prevent transmission of the virus
  • Anyone coming to your apartment, will be wearing a mask.
  • If you step out of your apartment for any reason – to take your trash to the trash receptacle, you need to cover your face
  • Face coverings should fit snuggly but comfortably
    • Cover your nose and mouth
    • Include multiple layers of fabric
    • Allow for breathing without restriction
    • Should be laundered and machine dried
  • These can be home-made masks – even a bandana or scarf can work
  • Remember, you do not need an N95 medical mask – only medical staff who are treating individuals with COVID need N95 medical masks
  • Continue to wash your hands frequently with warm water and soap – for at least 20 seconds
  • Key times to wash your hands –
    • After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
    • After going to the bathroom
    • Before eating or preparing food
    • Our team members are washing their hands in between providing care for each resident
  • Avoid touching your face, nose or eyes with unwashed hands
  • Continue to use disinfectant wipes to wipe down hard surfaces
• The Texas Health and Human Services have provided a COVID 19 Mental Health Support Line
  • If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed by the COVID 19 pandemic – help is available.
  • Call the toll-free support line at 833 986 1919
  • Speak with a mental health professional for help dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, grief or worry – they are available 24/7
  • This is also available in Spanish
• There has been some confusion and misinterpretation about yesterday’s announcement from Judge Clay Jenkins
  • The Shelter in Place order will stay in affect through April 30 for all of Dallas County
    • This means we are all ordered to shelter at our place of residence
    • Your place of residence is your apartment – you should not be coming out of your apartment
    • All public or private gatherings of any size is prohibited – inside or outside
    • Visiting with your family in their home is prohibited
    • Going to the park is prohibited
    • Sitting around the picnic tables for happy hour is prohibited
  • Yesterday, the Declaration of Local Disaster for Public Health Emergency was extended to May 20
    • This means that Judge Clay Jenkins has the right to extend our shelter in place law if it is believed necessary.
    • This does not mean that Shelter in place has already been extended to May 20
  • Let’s talk about some of the other terms that are used frequently in relation to this pandemic
    • We are all learning these new terms and there are distinct differences between each.
    • Social Distancing is a way to keep people from interacting closely or frequently with each other. We started with social distancing three weeks ago – we were all asked to
      • Stay 6 feet apart
      • Do not touch each other at all
    • Isolation prevents the spread of an infectious disease by separating people who are sick
      • We are all self-isolating during this time because in some instances we do know who is infected and who isn’t
      • Self-isolating means staying in your apartment and avoiding contact with others.
    • Quarantine – you are quarantined if you have been exposed or possibly exposed to a disease.
      • If you have had an essential doctors visit, such as dialysis, which is medically necessary, you are required to quarantine yourself when you return. Quarantine lasts for 14 days to ensure the person has not contracted the infectious disease.
      • You are not allowed to leave your apartment at all except for essential medical visits such as dialysis.
      • If you are quarantined, you cannot go visit your friend in their apartment
      • You are required to wear a mask if you MUST leave your apartment. You are only allowed to leave your apartment to take your trash to the trash room after 8pm each night. You must look out your doorway up and down the hall and if any other resident is present, let them get in their apartment before you come out. You must not touch anything in the hallways. We have partnerships with hospitals and protocols are in place for our residents who go to the hospital – for critical emergencies only – and then come back to Fowler.
    • Each one of these terms represents a layer of escalation – sometimes based on decisions that you make; sometimes based on the decisions that someone else made.
    • It’s important that you know what your responsibility is and what you need to do to obey the law.
    • Reminder – the details of this briefing are available on our website at fowlercommunities.org
    • Proverbs 14:15 “The gullible believe anything they are told; the prudent sift and weigh every word”
    • Proverbs 23:23 “Get the facts at any price and hold on tightly to all the good sense you can get”
    • During this time, we are taking extreme measures to verify information before we share it or implement
    • Everything has been vetted and researched
    • Rumor, speculation, and here-say is not healthy – you will see a lot of this on Facebook or even in the newspaper opinion columns.
    • There are those who will use this to push their own agendas – politically and financially
    • It is important that you sift through
    • Thank you.

All Daily Updates are posted on our website – www.fowlercommunities.org/covid19/
COVID Hotline: Phone: 214-515-7184   Spanish Speaking Line: 214-515-1385
Email:  Covid19info@fowlercommunities.org