Coronavirus Announcement

March 13, 2020

ANNOUNCEMENT

TO:         Our Volunteers and Clients

FROM:    SCMAFC Board of Directors

RE:          Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Every day the news of the Coronavirus in our area changes.  We want to reassure you that the SCMAFC leadership is carefully monitoring the situation and will let you know if our services must be changed in order to keep all of us healthy.

For now, we will continue providing transportation service to our clients.  We will, however, suspend our friendly visiting service until further notice.  Because of our 5-day scheduling policy our clients are rarely sick with acute illnesses.  We are not operating in large groups but are providing one-on-one service.  If you do not feel comfortable either providing rides or requesting rides, you may temporarily discontinue driving or riding. 

We do ask that everyone follow any specific directions that you are given by your healthcare providers as well as the instructions provided by the Centers for Disease Control.  Television and newspapers provide daily reminders of how to keep ourselves safe. In addition,  detailed information from the CDC can be found online:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/.  Current recommendations are as follows:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water.  If that is not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick and avoid large crowds.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth and avoid hand contact with others.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• When sneezing or coughing, cover your mouth with a tissue or the curve of your arm.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects in your house using cleaning wipes or sprays.  Drivers, you are asked to clean with disinfecting wipes the passenger area of your car between rides.

Please do NOT request or provide a ride if you have an acute illness.  If you are ill with an acute disease and need to see a healthcare provider, ask a family member to transport you or call 911.

If you or anyone you are living with is diagnosed with Coronavirus, please report this to the SCMFC office: 703-506-2199.

We will get through this pandemic! In the meantime, let us continue to help each other stay safe.