March 1, 2020 | 9 pm
Dear SJCC Community,
SJCC leadership has been diligently monitoring the worldwide outbreak and spread of respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). National guidance recommends that we track what is happening locally, following local advisories and advisors, which we continue to do.
Because the health and safety of members, staff, and the community is top priority, we want to share with you information, resources, and examples of proactive steps we are taking to help safeguard our community’s health.
Where can you find accurate information about COVID-19?
- Facts about COVID-19 from the CDC
- Washington State Health Department coronavirus page is informative and is updated daily;
- Public Health – Seattle and King County Coronavirus Information page.
What is SJCC doing to proactively keep our community as healthy as possible?
- We continue to monitor the situation daily, and are closely following the guidance issued by Public Health.
- Our maintenance and custodial team has increased the frequency of cleaning/sanitizing throughout the building.
- We have posted hand-washing signs throughout the facility and we will be adding hand sanitizer in multiple locations.
What can we do as a community to help prevent the spread of illnesses like flu and coronavirus?
- The Department Of Health (DOH) identifies handwashing as the best defense against any virus or illness. It is especially important to wash your hands before eating.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth unless your hands are clean.
- If you are sick, please stay at home. While global attention is focused on the coronavirus, we want to remind our community that many types of Influenza are a concern at this time of year and it’s important to protect yourself and others. As a reminder, you should stay home if you have the following symptoms: fever, cough, sore throat, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- If you suspect you may have been exposed to the coronavirus and are not experiencing life-threatening conditions like shortness of breath, please call your doctor’s office. Nurses and doctors will be able to advise whether you need to be seen.
How will SJCC make the determination to close the facility or not?
SJCC works closely with Public Health – Seattle and King County and the WA State Department of Health. Area schools that have closed have done so out of an abundance of caution based on illness in their school community that had not yet been ruled out as coronavirus. To date, this has not occurred at the J. The decision to close the facility will be made if a confirmed case of or exposure to COVID-19 is identified in our community and after discussions with public health authorities.
Where should questions be directed?
The Washington State DOH has established a call center to address questions from the public. If you have questions about what is happening in Washington, how the virus is spread, and what to do if you have symptoms, please call 1-800-525-0127 and press #.
What’s next?
The SJCC will continue to update our community about COVID-19 as more information becomes available.
We appreciate your partnership as we all continue to monitor this rapidly evolving situation.
Sincerely,
Oren Nissim, Board President
Amy Lavin, CEO