Responding to natural disasters has always been a challenge. At the beginning of 2020 that task became even more difficult with the rapid spread of COVID-19. Many aspects of the traditional response playbook no longer apply, and a long list of special considerations need to be made to safeguard the health of responders and the people that they serve.

Western Shelter has put together a three part series based on CDC guidelines covering procedures and tactics that responding organizations can use to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Topics for these posts will range from screening, to prevention, and disinfection. Although the focus of this series is disaster response, many of the practices described here are equally applicable to remote work force camps, military deployments, and mobile medical environments.

Here is a preview into the topics that will be covered by this series. Stay tuned through the coming weeks as we discuss each one in greater detail.

Screening and Isolation

Early detection of COVID-19 is the first line of defense in slowing the speed of viral transmission. Some steps that you can take to identify the presence of the virus and mitigate its impact include:

1. Have procedures in place to screen staff, patients, or evacuees for COVID-19 symptoms as they arrive on site, and repeat the screening process daily.

2. Utilize emerging technologies to detect the presence of COVID-19 in your facility before symptoms of the virus are expressed.

3. Establish a plan for the isolation and testing of individuals who show symptoms of COVID-19, or have a direct path to exposure.

Distancing and Prevention

Even with the best screening procedures in place it will not always be possible to identify COVID-19 positive individuals before they enter your facility. To further decrease the odds of virus transmission we recommend implementing the following practices:

1. Enforce strict compliance for the use of PPE at all times in accordance with CDC guidelines.

2. Avoid the use of large congregated shelters as much as possible, with smaller shelters (less than 50 people) being preferred. When congregated shelters are the only option anticipate needing twice as much useable area to allow for at least 6ft of distancing between family groups, and utilize partitions as much as possible.

3. If you are operating out of a shelter or other temporary structure, consider utilizing an air scrubber, opening windows, or installing screen walls to improve airflow and minimize the risk of exposure through recirculated air particles.

Cleaning and Disinfection

In addition to mitigating the spread of COVID-19 through the air it is also critical to prevent transmission through surfaces, both during and after your deployment.

1. Create a routine cleaning schedule for all hard surfaces in your facility, with particular attention placed on door handles, bathrooms, and food handling areas.

2. Encourage individuals to frequently wash their hands or utilize hand sanitizer.

3. After the deployment of temporary tent type shelters special attention should be paid to disinfecting all components before they are stored. Stay tuned for information on cleaning products and services designed specifically for this purpose.

If you would like to receive more information on any of the topics covered in this article please fill out the contact form below and a Western Shelter team member will reach out to you shortly.