If you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 or you are a resident in a community where there is ongoing spread of COVID-19 and develop symptoms of COVID-19, call your healthcare provider and tell them about your symptoms and your exposure. They will decide whether you need to be tested, but keep in mind that there is no treatment for COVID-19 and people who are mildly ill may be able to isolate and care for themselves at home.

Some people may be at higher risk of getting very sick from this illness. Those at higher risk include:

• Older adults
• People who have serious underlying medical conditions like:
  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • Lung disease
  • Asthma
  • HIV
  • People who are pregnant

For details about risks, please see the most current information from the Centers for Disease Control.

Travelers to and from certain areas of the world may also be at increased risk. See wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel for the latest travel guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others through:

• The air by coughing and sneezing
• Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
• Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands
• Rarely, fecal contamination

People who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 have reported symptoms that may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure to the virus. The symptoms may include:

• Fever
• Difficulty breathing
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Headache
• A general feeling of being unwell

If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.

Read the Centers for Disease Control's most current information about COVID-19 symptoms and testing.

What to Do If You Are Sick

There are no specific treatments for illnesses caused by human coronaviruses. Most people with common human coronavirus illness will recover on their own. However, you can do some things to relieve your symptoms, including:

• Take pain and fever medications (caution: do not give aspirin to children)
• Use a room humidifier or take a hot shower to help ease a sore throat and cough
• If you are mildly sick, you should drink plenty of liquids, stay home and rest

There are things you can do to protect others while you are sick:

• Stay home except to get medical care
• Separate yourself from other people in your home-this is known as home isolation
• Call ahead before visiting your doctor
• Wear a facemask if you are sick
• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Clean your hands often
• Avoid sharing personal household items
• Clean all “high-touch” surfaces everyday
• Monitor your symptoms

For more details about what to do if you are sick, please read the COVID-19 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control.

If you have a medical emergency, call 911. Notify the operator that you have or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a facemask before medical help arrives.

There are steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting any viral respiratory infection, including COVID-19. These are:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Avoid close contact with others
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands
• Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces

It is important for you to stay at home and away from others if you are sick.

Use our campus Single Stop tool to find resources that can connect you to housing help, transportation, healthcare and other basic needs. This is how:

• Visit the Roadrunner Resource Center and scroll to the bottom of the page. There you can Search for Resources. You will need to enter your zip code, and then click enter. 
• In the section titled Explore the Area you can again click Browse Local Resources, and that brings you to the database.
• You will see a map, and options to click on to filter your search by tags, such as Housing.  
• Scroll through the resources to find what you need and how to contact them.

Information about how to access SNAP, Meals on Wheels, food pantries and other food assistance is being updated daily at Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. 

Free breakfast and lunch are available to all children age 1-18 every weekday at 13 different locations. Find times and locations. 

FISH is also providing home food delivery of large Snacks for Packs for those in need. If you are experiencing food insecurity and are unable to pick up these meals, please contact FISH directly and let them know that the school district sent you. They are open Monday through Friday, and you may pick up food boxes at the FISH office. If you are interested in volunteering and/or donating, please contact FISH directly at 541-928-4460.

Expensify.org is temporarily redirecting all of its charitable funds to fight hunger.

With its ability to reimburse volunteers directly in real-time, Expensify.org is uniquely positioned to help families in need immediately. Until today, this fund was focused on paying off kids' "lunch debts", but with schools closed around the nation, their new priority is to match SNAP grocery purchases up to $50 per family.

This is how it works:

• Purchase food as normal with your SNAP card
• How to download the free Expensify app on iOS or Android
• Join Expensify.org
• SmartScan the receipt, which will tell them how much you paid and show that it was paid for with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card
• Submit it to volunteer@expensify.org
• Set up your bank account to receive the funds
• If they have funds available, they will reimburse up to $50 per family (one time), the very next day.

YES! Oregonians can now use their EBT online to purchase food from Amazon and Walmart. Delivery fees are not covered by EBT, but during this time of social distancing this could help people avoid going into a store.

• Read about the USDA Food and Nutrition Service's Online Purchasing Pilot.
• Buy food from Amazon.
• Buy food from Walmart.

On March 17, Oregon expanded childcare benefits to support families and providers during the spread of COVID-19. The changes are:

• Eliminating co-pays for eligible families.
• Providing access to more families by increasing the income limit from 185 percent of the federal poverty level ($4,040 per month for a family of four) to 250 percent of the federal poverty level or 85 percent of the state median income, whichever is higher for the family size ($5,899 per month for a family of four).
• Ensuring more certainty for providers. Childcare providers are able to continue to receive payments from DHS, even if children are unable to attend or if they have to temporary shut down during the state of emergency.  

Providers and parents/caretakers may contact the DHS Direct Pay Unit with questions Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1-800-699-9074.

Pacific Power has temporarily suspended disconnections and late fees for nonpayment. Read more. 

Many city offices that handle water bills and other city utilities are asking that customers contact them directly, as they understand that this is a difficult time for many, and they will be flexible in helping those whose income has been affected during this time.

Cities and states across the country are already suspending evictions and foreclosures in response to the spread of the coronavirus, and all evictions and foreclosures are suspended for 60 days. Read more. 

Do two things:

1. Contact Lisa Blackburn, the Executive Assistant to Vice President, Finance & Operations, at blackbl@linnbenton.edu, or call 541-917-4330 right away. Complete confidentiality will be maintained, and timeliness is important; as soon as you know for certain, please reach out so we can get information to the LCHS.
2. Affected employees are encouraged to reach out to HR Manager, Deana Culbertson Human Resources to explore options related to continuing work while isolating, or assessing Family Medical Leave.

Contact Jennifer Boehmer, Executive Director of Advancement, privately. Jennifer will work with the Executive Team to respond to your questions, and to add further information to these FAQs.