New COVID-19 Guidance for Licensed Facilities April 13, 2020 General COVID-19, Public Health Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) and Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) each issued Orders for all Licensed Facilities and Other Agencies, as well as their staff, contractors and any essential visitors entering those sites to comply with guidance to control the spread of COVID-19. The Orders become effective at 12:01 AM on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. New guidelines for licensed facilities include: Temperature check for all staff, contractors, and other essential visitors before entering the facility. All individuals entering the facility must self-evaluate for mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, sore throat, coughing, shortness of breath, or general weakness in the last 7 days. All individuals with a temperature of 100° F or 37.8° C or greater should be prohibited from entering the facility. All staff, residents, and other essential visitors should wear masks to cover their nose and mouth while in the facility and, for residents, outside their rooms. Appropriate and recommended PPE must be worn by staff when available if there is a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 case at the facility. All group activities and communal dining must be canceled. Staff and residents should maintain a physical distance of 6 feet apart when leaving their rooms. If a resident who is suspected or confirmed of having COVID-19 is being transferred to an acute care hospital, the hospital, EMS, and transport agencies should be notified. The facility should notify EMS and the receiving hospital if the facility already has COVID-19 cases. Avoid, as much as possible, staffing scenarios that use employees who have worked at another Licensed Facility or Other Agency in the past 14 days. Facilities must keep a daily log of employees present, identifying any other facilities the employees have worked at in the previous 14 days, and that log must be produced immediately if requested by any staff member of the ACPHD. The Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association is closely partnering with the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD)'s Long-Term Care Facility Task Force. This new order aims to keep patients safer by making compliance mandatory. Review the full order here. Contra Costa Health Services has issued a similar order, outlining the same guidelines above.