Protecting Yourself from COVID-19

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Lesson 1A: Protecting Yourself from COVID-19

In this training session, you will learn about the symptoms of COVID-19 and how
to protect yourself from COVID-19 while performing your job duties in the field.
For your safety and the safety of those you will meet, follow all of the precautions
outlined in this training.

The information provided in this training is current as of 5/4/20 and gathered from
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization websites
(WHO).

Let’s begin with a brief overview of what COVID-19 is and how you can minimize
exposure to yourself and others while safely performing your duties in the
workplace.

COVID-19 is a new or novel type of coronavirus that has not been previously
identified. It is not the same type of coronavirus that causes the common cold or
flu. To date, the origin of this virus remains unknown.

It is thought to spread mainly person to person by inhaling small droplets of an

infected person who sneezes, coughs, or even speaks. The droplets can also land in
the nose or mouth of persons who are near an infected person, usually within 6
feet. People carrying the virus may or may not show symptoms of the disease.

“These droplets can land on objects and surfaces around the person such as tables,

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doorknobs and handrails. People can become infected by touching these objects or
surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. This is why it is important to
wash your hands regularly with soap and water or clean with an alcohol-based
hand rub” (WHO).

Let’s examine the symptoms of COVID-19.

Please note that the following list is not an exhaustive list of the symptoms of
COVID-19.

• “Cough

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Or at least two of these symptoms:

• Fever

• Chills

• Repeated shaking with chills

• Muscle pain

• Headache

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• Sore throat

• New loss of taste or smell” (CDC)

These symptoms show up within 2-14 days after exposure. The CDC provides a
self-check assessment tool on its website (www.cdc.gov) so that you can look up
your symptoms to pre-determine if you have COVID-19 or something else such as
seasonal allergies or flu. This is not a substitute for an official medical diagnosis.

If you believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, or are experiencing

symptoms, follow up with your medical professional, as appropriate. Follow their
guidance and alert your supervisor. This will help them take care of you and keep
other people from getting infected or exposed.

You should seek medical attention immediately if you have any of the following
symptoms:

• Trouble breathing

• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest

• New confusion or inability to arouse/awaken

• Bluish lips or face

Note that the lists I have read are not an all-inclusive lists of emergency symptoms.
They are the most common symptoms of COVID-19 that we wanted to bring to

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your attention.

Call 911 and if possible, wear a cloth face covering if you are experiencing any of
these emergency conditions.

According to the CDC and public health officials, people who are 65 years old or
older, people who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility, and people at
any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at a higher risk for severe
illness from the disease.

You should also be mindful that the people you will interact with on a daily basis
may be in a high-risk category. Even those who are not at a higher risk can still
develop a severe illness from the virus. This is why we must protect both
ourselves and our communities.

According to the CDC, “There is currently no specific treatment for or vaccine to

prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to
this virus.”

So, how can you protect yourself from COVID-19?

Know that you can protect yourself from COVID-19 by practicing healthy hygiene
habits using the following procedures outlined in this training.

First, when possible, conduct interviews outside of the respondents’ home. Make
sure you attempt to conduct the interview in open, well-ventilated spaces.

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Second, conduct your interviews from a distance of 6 feet between you and the
respondent.

Third, make sure that you avoid all direct contact, including handshakes, with
respondents. Use other noncontact methods of greeting, such as waving your hand
to say ‘hello.’

Never allow respondents to use or even see the screen of your Census Bureau
device to complete the interview.

For operations using paper questionnaires, do not allow respondents to use your
assigned materials. (This excludes the Drop Off/Pick Up method.)

Depending on the operation, should a respondent be reluctant to conduct the in-

person interview, provide the respondent with confidentiality statement or read the
statement aloud if they refuse to accept it, then offer the option of conducting the
interview via telephone. Collect the necessary information from the respondent to
allow you to follow-up.

Additionally, you should avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with
unwashed or un-sanitized hands.

Please listen carefully to the following information regarding the use of facemasks
and other personal protective equipment (PPE). Various local and state
governments have instituted requirements for their populations that exceed the
CDC guidelines. One example includes a requirement (not a suggestion) to wear
face coverings in public. Census must observe state and local requirements as

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needed as we institute a phased re-opening of the 2020 Census throughout the
nation. Because local/state guidelines will continue evolving and may be applied
differently by different jurisdictions at different times, the Census Bureau must be
prepared to provide PPE as needed in all jurisdictions even if their requirements
exceed that of the CDC.

The Bureau will provide:

Disposable and washable face coverings to all Census Bureau staff and all field
employees. Additionally, gloves will be made available to all field employees.
You must be in compliance with your local and state government regarding the use
of PPE. Instructions on cleaning the reusable facemasks will be provided. To put
on a facemask, clean your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer before
touching the mask. Remove a mask from the package and determine which side of
the mask is the top. Next, determine which side of the mask is the front. Bring the
mask to your nose level, making sure to cover your mouth. Pull the loops/ties/band
around each ear. To remove the mask, clean your hands with soap and water or
hand sanitizer before touching the mask. Avoid touching the front of the mask.
Only touch the ear loops/ties/band to remove the mask from your face. You may
also obtain information on how to make facemasks on the CDC website previously
mentioned. Please be aware that “a cloth face covering is not intended to protect
the wearer, but may prevent the spread of the virus from the wearer to others. This
would be especially important in the event that someone is infected but does not
have symptoms” (CDC). The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social
distancing.

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Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. If you are in a private
setting and do not have on your cloth face covering, remember to always 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.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an
alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water
are not available.

Avoid contact with high-touch surfaces in public places whenever possible such as;
elevator buttons, door handles, doorknobs, tables, handrails, intercoms, buzzers,
turnstiles, etc.

If you are in an office setting, clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily.
This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks,
phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.

Clean all dirty surfaces. Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.

Then, use a household disinfectant. Most common EPA-registered household

disinfectants will work.

Lastly, wash or sanitize your hands after touching surfaces in public places.

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It is very important that you understand this is a rapidly evolving situation. There
is a lot of misinformation coming from various media and social media sources.
Check your local state and local municipality regulations before starting your
workday. Stay in tune with your local news to find out about the latest conditions
in your region, such as high instances of social distancing violations. Please
familiarize yourself with these trusted resources below.

OPM Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19):

Main page: www.opm.gov/covid-19
FAQs: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/covid-19/questions-and-
answers-on-human-resources-flexibilities-and-authorities-for-coronavirus-
disease-2019-covid-19.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

Situation summary: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
ncov/summary.html
Main page and resources: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Coronavirus.gov: www.coronavirus.gov

State and Territorial Health Departments:

https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/healthdirectories/healthdepartmen
ts.html

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World Health Organization
Main page: https://www.who.int/
FAQs: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses

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Enumeration Method Safety Guidelines

Service-Based Enumeration

During the SBE operation, the main enumeration method is In-Person interview. There are some
facilities that can choose one of the following as another option:

1. Drop Off/Pick Up - A Census worker will ask the GQ contact to have a list of residents
who were staying at the facility as of the date of enumeration ready so the Census worker
can prepare the ICQ packets. The packet includes Form D-Q-GE, (E/S) Individual
Census Questionnaire and Form D-E-GE, Individual Census Questionnaire Envelopes.
The Census worker can distribute the forms to the residents or have the GQ contact do
this. They will return to pick up the completed questionnaires from the contact person on
an agreed-upon time.

2. Paper Response Data Capture – A Census worker will meet with the staff at the GQ
facility to obtain a paper listing of census response data for each person who was served
or was staying at the facility as of the date of enumeration.

These methods of enumeration require some form of direct contact between the Census worker,
GQ contact, and the respondent. The census worker must exercise extreme caution to reduce the
risk of exposure to COVID-19 while conducting enumeration. Census workers can protect
themselves from respiratory illnesses by following the general and tailored guidelines below for
each enumeration method, simultaneously practicing healthy hygiene habits. Some general
guidance for census workers include:

• If you are sick stay home, and/or seek medical care before returning to work.
• Follow your state and local guidance for use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Call ahead to confirm with the GQ contact that they will be at the facility on the date and
time of enumeration.
• If possible, wait outside if the GQ contact is not ready for you to conduct the
enumeration.
• Minimize direct contact with respondents. Avoid shaking hands with respondents or GQ
contact and use other noncontact methods of greeting.
• Bring your own pen to sign in and out of facilities whenever needed.
• You should follow all social distancing, health, and safety guidelines that the facility has
imposed. For example, standing behind plexiglass shields or using hand sanitizer
dispensers as they enter the GQ.
• When possible, avoid contact with frequently touched surfaces in the public places –
elevator buttons, door handles, doorknobs, tables, intercoms, and handrails.
• Wash or sanitize your hands after touching surfaces in public places such as elevator
buttons, door handles, doorknobs, tables, intercom, and handrails.

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There are tailored safety guidelines that census workers must use when conducting enumerations
using the different methods. The enumeration method of Drop Off/Pick Up, though it requires
less contact with respondents, still requires the census worker to use the safety guidelines below
when visiting a GQ:

• When you arrive at the facility, call the GQ contact to let the GQ contact know that you
have arrived at the facility, this may help in minimizing contact with high touch surfaces.
• If possible, when you swear in the GQ contact using the Special Sworn Status Form BC-
1759(GQ), try to do so in a well ventilated or open area and have the GQ contact use
their own pens to complete the form.
• You should no longer stay in the facility to create the ICQ packets. If you are unable to
create them in your car, you can take them home with you and create the packets, and
then bring them back to the facility on another day.
• To maximize your time, you may consider doing all your ICQ packets drop off on one
day and schedule the pick-ups on another day.
• When picking up ICQs, do not stay in the facility to review the ICQs. You can take them
home to review and call the facility if the ICQs are missing information.
• For your own safety, minimize time at the GQ.
If a GQ opts to use Paper Response Data Collection as its preferred of method enumeration,
you should follow these safety guidelines when planning and conducting enumeration:
• Call ahead to confirm with the GQ contact that they will be at the facility on the date and
time of enumeration.
• Ask the GQ contact to have a list of the residents as of the date of enumeration and their
associated demographic data for you to pick up on the enumeration date.
• Ask the GQ contact to meet you outside, if possible. Try to maintain a 6 feet distance if
possible as you review the paper listing.
• Review the listing off site and call the GQ contact if you have questions about the data on
their listing.

Because of the direct face-to-face contact that occurs during an In-Person Interview, it is
important that Census workers use the following tailored safety guidelines when conducting
enumeration:

• Limit this enumeration method to small GQs.

• Wear your personal protective equipment (PPE) for each interview.
• When possible, conduct interviews outside of the respondents’ living quarters. Attempt to
conduct the interview in open, well-ventilated spaces.
• When conducting interviews allow a distance of 6 feet between you and the respondent.
• If a respondent is sick at the time of the interview, obtain the information from the GQ
contact.
• Do not allow respondents to use your pens, pencils, or other census materials to complete
the interview.

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