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Household Game Plan
If you suspect you have COVID-19 or receive a positive test, you may need to quarantine or isolate with little or no notice. Preparing now will help you have peace of mind. A Household Game Plan will help you think through what you need, who to contact, and how you will handle your specific situation. This information is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Use this checklist to prep your Game Plan.
Game Plan Checklist
- Practice With Your Team
- Gather Your Gear
- Tackle Quarantine/Isolation
Practice With Your Team
- Know the signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
- Be proactive about your mental, physical health and over all well-being.
- Individual & Family Resources
- Brookings Virtual Programming
- How to Care for Yourself While Practicing Physical Distancing
- How to Help Someone with Anxiety or Depression During COVID-19
- How to Support a Loved One Going Through a Tough Time During COVID-19
- How to Manage Your Mental Health When Feeling Stressed During COVID-19
- Create a cleaning schedule to avoid the risk of spreading COVID-19.
- Gather information about available community resources.
- Know where you will stay during quarantine/isolation.
- Choose a room that can separate sick household members from others in your household.
- Will you stay in this location for the entire duration?
- Living In Close Quarters
- Living in Shared Housing
- Know how children, dependents, and/or pets will be cared for.
- Who can you ask to take care of children should you become too sick to care for them?
- Create an emergency contact list including family, friends, neighbors, carpool drivers, healthcare providers, teachers, employers, and other community resources.
Create a Player Profile for each household member.
- How will you notify your employer?
- How will you notify school? Or childcare?
- How will you access medical care if there is an emergency?
- Who could help with bringing you food and supplies?
- If you live by yourself, who can check in on you to make sure you are okay?
- Think through a quarantine/isolation scenario, considering things like:
- Do you need additional kitchen utensils or disposable flatware and dishes?
- How will you prepare your meals and keep cold items refrigerated?
- How will you care for your mental health and communicate with others?
Gather Your Gear
The amount of time you may be in quarantine or isolation may vary. Here are the items you should have on-hand and ready.
Shelf-Stable Food
- Drinking water
- Canned fruits, vegetables, and legumes
- Canned soups or stews
- Canned or dehydrated meats
- Dry pasta
- Dried fruits
- Crackers
- Granola bars
- Shelf-stable beverages
- Freeze dried meals
Other Supplies
- Masks/face coverings
- Hand sanitizer and soap
- Facial tissues
- Thermometer
- Medications (prescriptions and over-the-counter such as fever reducers
- Personal hygiene items
- All-purpose cleaners
- Disinfecting wipes/sprays
- Trash bags
- Gloves
Tackle Quarantine/Isolation
Understand the duration of your quarantine/isolation.
Consult with your health care provider about the specific length of your quarantine or isolation time.
- Quarantine is for those who haven’t shown symptoms of COVID-19 but may have had exposure to someone who tested positive.
- Isolation is for those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Stay home except to get medical care.
- Stay home. Do not leave, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas. Do not take public transportation, taxis or ride-shares. Do not go to crowded places or participate in public activities.
- Monitor your symptoms.
- Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated. Take over-the-counter medicines.
- Stay in touch with your doctor. Call before you leave your home to get medical care.
- Follow care instructions from your health care provider. Be sure to get care if it is an emergency.
Separate yourself from other people.
- Avoid contact with others. Household members should stay in another room or be separated from you as much as possible. Household members should use a separate bedroom and bathroom, if available. If you must be around another person, wear a mask or face covering.
- Do not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people in your home. Wash these items thoroughly after you use them.
- Avoid contact with pets and other animals. If you must care for your pet or be around animals, wash your hands before and after interacting and wear a mask or face covering.
- Do not allow visitors.
- Tell your close contacts that they may have been exposed to COVID-19 to stop the spread.
Practice proper hygiene.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Throw away used tissues in a lined trash can.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
Clean and disinfect often.
- Clean high-touch surfaces frequently with a household spray or wipes including phones, counters, remote controls, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, keyboards, and light switches.
- Clean and disinfect areas that may have blood, stool, or body fluids on them.
- Clean and disinfect your “sick room” and bathroom; wear disposable gloves. If a caregiver or other person needs to clean and disinfect for you, they should do so on an as-needed basis and should wear a mask/face covering and disposable gloves prior to cleaning.
COVID-19 questions or concerns? Connect with us directly using Engage Brookings. Visit the website (www.EngageBrookings.com) or download the app on your mobile device.