People at Higher Risk
COVID-19 is a new disease and there is limited information regarding risk factors for severe disease. Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Based on what we know now, those at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are:
People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including:
- People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
- People who have serious heart conditions
- People who are immunocompromised
- Many conditions can cause a person to be immunocompromised, including cancer treatment, smoking, bone marrow or organ transplantation, immune deficiencies, poorly controlled HIV or AIDS, and prolonged use of corticosteroids and other immune weakening medications
- People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher)
- People with diabetes
- People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
- People with liver disease
For additional information, please visit CDC's pages for Groups at Higher Risk for Severe Illness and People Who Need to Take Extra Precautions.
Parents and Students
According to the CDC there is no evidence that children are more susceptible to coronavirus disease 2019. In fact, most confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported from China have occurred in adults. Infections in children have been reported, including in very young children.
Fairfax County Public Schools has developed information for talking to children about coronavirus.
At this time, FCPS schools are closed through the end of the academic year in June. Read the Superintendent's Message from March 23.
FCPS offers grab and go food distribution sites, including pop-up sites in the community, curbside pickup at two schools, and meal delivery along some bus routes. Details on locations and times is available here.
School districts in our area are closely monitoring the situation, as well as any impact it may have locally. For school district- specific information, please visit:
The CDC also offers Tips to keep children healthy while school’s out
Travelers
The CDC provides recommendations on postponing or canceling travel. These are called travel notices and are based on assessment of the potential health risks involved with traveling to a certain area.
Depending on your travel history, you will be asked to stay home for a period of 14 days from the time you left certain areas.Foreign nationals who have visited some places within the past 14 days may not be permitted to enter the United States.
If you have recently traveled, or had close contact with someone who recently traveled to an affected area and was SICK, and you have a fever, cough, or trouble breathing, call your healthcare provider immediately.
Travelers should stay up-to-date with CDC’s travel health notices related to this outbreak as guidance may change.
Level 3 Travel Health Notice: Widespread ongoing transmission with restrictions on entry to the United States
Level 3 Travel Health Notice: Widespread ongoing transmission without restrictions on entry to the United States:
Level 2 Travel Health Notice: Ongoing community transmission
- Older adults and people of any age with serious chronic medical conditions should consider postponing nonessential travel. See: Global Outbreak Notice (Level 2 Travel Health Notice)
CDC Issues Domestic Travel Advisory for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
CRUISE SHIP TRAVEL
CDC recommends that all people defer travel on cruise ships, including river cruises, worldwide. See the Level 3 Travel Advisory and Guidance for Travelers Returning from Cruise Ship and River Cruise Voyages.
On April 9, 2020, CDC renewed the No Sail Order and Other Measures Related to Operations Order. See Cruise Ship Guidance.
Food Establishments
Impacted Businesses
Community-Based Organizations
The Health Department offers the following guidance for Community-Based Organizations to enhance the safety of your staff and volunteers and reduce their risk of COVID-19 infection, as well as providing guidance on how the risk of potential transmission to clients can be reduced.
The following lists recommendations for service providers and the rationales for those recommendations. The CDC also has extensive guidance for providers that highlights additional situations and issues for consideration.
- Develop, review or update a written pandemic operations plan
Rationale: Working with staff to consider key services provided and how those may change during a pandemic will be important to meet the needs of the community and your organization. Issues to consider include how services can be delivered effectively and safely for staff, volunteers, and clients; how needs and practices may change when COVID-19 is sporadic vs widespread in the community; and how this can be done with reduced staffing due to illness, a need to care for other family members, and people staying away to avoid risks. The CDC guidance provides a good discussion of planning considerations.
- Rigorously practice personal protective behaviors, social distancing, and environmental disinfection, to reduce acquiring and transmitting COVID-19
Rationale: Spread of COVID-19 is primarily by respiratory droplets which travel less than 6 feet through the air. To facilitate staff in adhering to personal protective behaviors, adopt rigorous hand washing policies and practices in your office environment. Hard surfaces contaminated with secretions can remain infectious for hours to days; frequent handwashing and not touching one’s mouth, nose or eyes will prevent self-inoculation. There is no evidence that respiratory aerosols spread through ventilation systems or that virus remains in airspaces; nevertheless, increasing air exchanges by opening a window or delivering services outside may reduce risk.
- Treat every staff and client interaction as if it creates some degree of risk; however, transmission of COVID-19 by people who do not have symptoms is likely low
Rationale: Some people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been asymptomatic, and some families have reported situations where an asymptomatic person appeared to have transmitted illness to others. However, asymptomatic transmission is less likely to happen because asymptomatic people have a lower viral load, and they are not spreading secretions through coughing or sneezing. Nevertheless, because the risk is not zero, rigorous application of preventive behaviors is important in all settings.
- Screen staff and volunteers for fever, cough and shortness of breath before starting work
Rationale: People may not perceive low grade fever or may disregard symptoms because they want to be able to provide services to others. Screening will ensure that people are not ill and serve as a reminder of the importance of not working when sick. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 F (38 C) or greater or who has cough or shortness of breath should self-isolate and contact their healthcare provider or access information from the Health Department for further advice.
- Consider roles of staff and volunteers who are older or at higher-risk to reduce the chance they will become infected with COVID-19
Rationale: People at greater risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 include: older adults (65 years old or older); people with underlying illnesses (e.g., heart or lung disease, diabetes); and people whose immune systems are suppressed by illness or medication. Employees and volunteers in these groups should not be placed in situations where there is an appreciable risk of COVID-19. If possible, consider having them provide services from their homes via phone or computer. Protecting those at increased risk is particularly important as disease spreads in the community.
- Clean and disinfect thoroughly and frequently
Rationale: COVID-19 survives on hard surfaces (plastic, metal) for hours to days depending on environmental conditions. Thorough cleaning and carefully following manufacturer instructions (especially contact times) is important for effectiveness. Fabric surfaces should be cleaned if grossly contaminated but is not a likely source of infectious virus. Food deliveries provided in a cardboard box also are unlikely to pose an appreciable risk to staff or clients though good handwashing before and after touching something that has been handled by others is good routine practice.
- Modify what services are provided, how they are provided, and phase changes based on the extent of the local outbreak
Rationale: Because of the importance of social distancing, develop strategies that will maintain social distance, as possible, during service delivery. Increase use of phone and online services. Increase teleworking. Change office configurations to increase distancing. Consider increased needs for counseling and mental health services as the outbreak progresses.
- Plan for shortages and limit use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
Rationale: National shortages of facemasks and other PPE might limit availability for your staff. Maintaining social distance (6 feet or more) eliminates the need for a facemask. If a client is coughing or sneezing, ask them to cover their nose and mouth with their shirt or a cloth. If facemasks are available for staff, use them only when in contact with clients. Unless facemasks are soiled, they can be reused; place them in a paper bag between uses and wash hands thoroughly before and after touching a reused mask to prevent possible hand contamination. N95 respirators are not needed except in certain clinical situations. Homemade cloth facemasks may provide some protection, but effectiveness is not known.
Additionally, two checklists are available for download to help your organization plan:
If you have additional questions, please email ffxcovid@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Long-term Care Facilities
Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind Individuals
Find COVID-19 and other resources from the Virginia Department of Health. Find resources.
The CDC has several videos available in American Sign Language. See the playlist.
Apartment/Condo Owners and Residents
