Local health group urges community to follow COVID-19 safety precautions
COVID-19 continues to infect San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County residents
–With COVID-19 cases on the rise in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, as they have been across the nation, Dignity Health Central Coast hospitals want to remind community members that the coronavirus is still prevalent. “We are prepared and ready to care for the health and safety of our patients, and want individuals to take the proper steps to minimize exposure and protect themselves and their loved ones,” the company said in a statement on Monday.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and as local counties continue to experience increased coronavirus cases, Dignity Health Center Coast urges community members to continue to make their health and safety a priority by:
- Wearing a mask when outside your home, when you may come in contact with other people. Doing so can keep someone who has COVID-19 and is displaying no symptoms from passing the virus on to someone else. We know that the virus spreads from person to person when someone coughs or sneezes near someone else. Masks can keep those COVID-19 droplets from reaching another person and infecting them. We know there are conflicting thoughts about wearing masks, but we encourage you to be considerate and wear a mask in public.
- Keeping a distance of six feet between you and others outside your home. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that COVID-19 is mostly spread between people who are within six feet of one another for a prolonged period of time. Keeping more than six feet of distance between people helps reduce the likelihood that the virus can spread. Protect your own personal space and stay six feet apart.
- Washing your hands on a regular basis. Use soap and water as much as possible and wash them for 20 seconds or longer. The CDC indicates that handwashing can prevent 20 percent of respiratory infections. If handwashing is unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your face. We carry many germs on our hands and our eyes, noses, and mouths are a gateways for a COVID-19 infection. People touch their faces an average of more than 20 times an hour. So, be mindful of keeping your hands away from your face.
- Staying home when you are sick. When you are sick and you go to work or even out to the grocery store, you are putting others at automatic risk. When you are sick, please stay home.
Dignity Health Central Coast has taken extensive measures to ensure the continued safety of our patients and staff:
- Everyone is screened prior to entry at each of our facilities
- Masks are required, and are provided to anyone in need
- Visitor limitations policies are enforced
- Enhanced disinfectant protocols maintain a clean environment
- Those who have COVID-19 symptoms are cared for in separate areas
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