Know How it Spreads

• The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
  • Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
  • Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
    
    
• These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

Take steps to protect yourself

Clean your hands often

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds.
  • Always wash immediately after removing gloves and after contact with a person who is sick.
    
    
• Hand sanitizer: If soap and water are not readily available and hands are not visibly dirty, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. However, if hands are visibly dirty, always wash hands with soap and water.
  
  
• Additional key times to clean hands include:
  • After blowing one’s nose, coughing, or sneezing
  • After using the restroom
  • Before eating or preparing food
  • After contact with animals or pets
  • Before and after providing routine care for another person who needs assistance (e.g. a child)
    
    
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  

 Avoid close contact

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
  
  
• Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Take steps to protect others

Stay home if you’re sick

• Stay home if you are sick, except to get medical care. Learn what to do if you are sick.

Cover coughs and sneezes

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow.
  
  
• Throw used tissues in the trash.
  
  
• Immediately wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, clean your hands with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

Facemasks

• Cloth face coverings may help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others.

• Wearing a cloth face covering will help protect people around you, including those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and workers who frequently come into close contact with other people (e.g., in stores and restaurants).

• The spread of COVID-19 can be reduced when cloth face coverings are used along with other preventive measures, including social distancing, frequent handwashing, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.

• The cloth face coverings recommended here are not surgical masks or respirators. Currently, those are critical supplies that should be reserved for healthcare workers and other first responders. Cloth face coverings are not personal protective equipment (PPE). They are not appropriate substitutes for PPE such as respirators (like N95 respirators) or medical facemasks (like surgical masks) in workplaces where respirators or facemasks are recommended or required to protect the wearer.

Clean and disinfect

• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
  
  
• If surfaces are dirty, clean them: Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
  
  
• Follow the instructions on the disinfectant’s label to ensure safe and effective use of the product.
  
  
• Diluted household bleach solutions may also be used if appropriate for the surface.
  
  
• Follow manufacturer’s instructions for application and proper ventilation. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser.
  
  
• Leave solution on the surface for at least 1 minute.
  
  
• Alcohol solutions with at least 70 percent alcohol may also be used.