COVID-19 Prevention & Self-Care

Symptoms

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person.

Symptoms can include fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher), cough, trouble breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
According to the CDC, illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death. Symptoms may appear 2–14 days after exposure.
Persons can be infected with COVID-19 and pose a risk to others without noticing any symptoms.
Older adults and people of any age with serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk for more serious complications from COVID-19. Seek care early.

CDC Coronavirus Self-Checker
VDH COVIDCheck
COVIDWISE Exposure Notifications App

What to Do if You are Sick

Residents are encouraged to follow these instructions to self-monitor illness and to inform close contacts when becoming ill.

If you develop a fever and symptoms such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your doctor or an urgent care center to discuss.
- Find a COVID-19 Testing location using the Virginia Department of Health Locator Map.
- You should not go to any emergency room unless it is an emergency, for example, you are having difficulty breathing.
- The Loudoun County Health Department does not provide testing or evaluate ill individuals.
Stay home. Avoid contact with others, do not share personal items, and use a separate bedroom and bathroom, if possible.
Monitor your health. Call 911 if you develop trouble breathing, pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, or bluish lips or face.
Wear a face covering that covers your nose and mouth when around other people.
Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow.
Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces every day.
Do not leave home until fever-free for 24 hours (without medication) AND at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
Inform close contacts. Talk to everyone who has been within 6 feet for more than a few minutes while you were sick, including the 48 hours BEFORE you developed symptoms. Encourage them to stay home for 14 days and provide them the above guidance for those who had close contact with someone who is sick.
Learn more from the Virginia Department of Health.

COVID-19 Prevention

We all need to take COVID-19 precautions to prevent getting and spreading COVID-19 including:

Covering your mouth and nose with a face covering when in public
Washing hands often and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
Staying at least 6 feet away from others
Staying home when sick
Avoiding crowds of people, parties at peoples’ homes and other gatherings
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
Avoid non-essential travel

More details about face coverings requirements and physical distancing is below.

Face Coverings
Physical Distancing

A face covering can help prevent individuals who do not know they are carrying COVID-19 from transmitting the virus to others. The cloth is intended to catch droplets from your nose and mouth that may be projected when you talk, sneeze, cough and breathe. By limiting the potential of these droplets from landing on others and on surfaces, you can reduce the spread of the coronavirus and other germs even when you do not have symptoms .Learn more about using face coverings on the CDC website.

Face Covering Requirement in Virginia

Executive Order 72 (PDF) requires everyone aged five and over to wear face coverings in indoor settings shared with others and when outdoors within six feet of another person

It is strongly recommended that children older than two wear face coverings. Children aged two and under should never wear a face covering. A person who has trouble breathing, who cannot secure or remove the face covering without assistance, or who has a medical condition limiting the use of face coverings should not wear a face covering.

Where am I required to wear a face covering?

Face coverings must be worn in the following locations:

Inside essential and non-essential brick and mortar retails establishments
Inside personal care and personal grooming establishments
Inside places where people congregate, including places of worship, waiting rooms, and libraries
Inside food and beverage establishments, except when eating or drinking
When utilizing public transportation, as well as when in any waiting or congregating areas associated with boarding public transportation
When accessing state or local government services
All employment settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained
In outdoor settings where you are not able to maintain six feet of physical distance between yourself and others
In all Loudoun County Government facilities

How to wear a face covering

Wear a cloth face covering to cover your nose and mouth.
Use simple cloth face coverings made at home from common materials at low cost. Get instructions on how to make your own face covering.

Follow these tips for wearing and caring for cloth face coverings:

Make sure there are no gaps around your nose and mouth.
Wash your hands before putting on a face covering.
Be careful not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth when removing your face covering.
Wash your hands immediately after removing the covering.
Routinely wash face coverings.