Community Guidelines for COVID-19: Protocols for Prevention and Mitigation

Updated: Dec 12, 2020

Local government units and communities all over the Philippines are continuously adapting and adjusting to the evolving COVID-19 situation in their localities as the cases continue to pile up each day. While national and local authorities struggle to limit the stop of the coronavirus, individuals and communities are encouraged to stay updated with the latest information and promote healthful practices that will help contain the spread or alleviate the situation in their areas.

What can I do to protect my community from COVID-19?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), communities can effectively slow the spread of COVID-19 through “community mitigation activities.” Since COVID-19 can be spread by asymptomatic carriers, the risk of transmission is not only high but also difficult to determine. Thus, it is highly recommended to do COVID-19 mass testing (rapid test) to limit community transmission or spread. ISPS offers customizable service packages and can quickly set up COVID-19 testing booths in your neighborhood as well as implement full-scale environmental disinfection through misting and bio-fogging.

Testing Services

ISPS offers custom-tailored COVID-19 testing services designed to address your community’s specific needs. The all-inclusive service package includes customized personnel allocations, costing, schedule management, and venue suggestions in order to suit the clients’ schedule and capabilities. The ISPS team’s efficient and streamlined process allows for a turnaround time of as fast as under 24 hours, depending on the requested manpower or the number of subjects to be tested. We offer both swab and rapid tests.

Misting Services

Prevention is better than cure, and for this reason we encourage communities, offices, local government units, establishments that tend to accommodate crowds, especially those frequented by in-and-out clients/customers (like restaurants), to regularly disinfect and sanitize. Frequency largely depends upon the type of business, for example, high traffic service orientated businesses must disinfect more often while other businesses like storage facilities that aren’t often visited by outsiders less.

Fogging Services

Electric bio-fogging is a cleaning treatment done by trained professionals to eliminate hazardous microbial bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that may germinate in areas that are usually unreachable by common measures. It creates a mist which safely, quickly, and effectively sanitize surfaces that conventional cleaning cannot cover.

The fogging process is rapid and efficient. The biocide particles in the mist or fog are so small that they remain suspended in the air long enough to kill airborne viruses and bacteria. The biocide also eliminates pathogens on surfaces, including ceilings and walls as well as furniture and floors.

Individual Responsibility

Generally, individuals need to follow healthy hygiene practices, stay at home as much as possible, practice social distancing, and limit contact with other people to lower the risk of disease spread, and use a face mask in community settings when physical distancing cannot be maintained. These universal precautions are appropriate and a must regardless of the extent of mitigation needed.

What should I do if I have a COVID-19 positive case in my community?

For those with COVID-19 positive cases, local government units, barangays, and community leaders must immediately form a strategy to address the situation and inform the community. For starters, it is best to isolate or close off areas used for prolonged periods of time by the sick person. Wait 24 hours before cleaning and disinfecting to minimize potential for other individuals being exposed to respiratory droplets. It is best to leave the environmental disinfection to professionals with the right equipment and protective garments.

It’s also important to disinfect surfaces, and not just clean surfaces, with CDC-recommended, EPA-registered disinfectant products like Biotab7. It is best to employ the services of industry experts and professionals when it comes to thorough and large-scale disinfection of COVID-19 infected areas.

Subject as many individuals as possible to COVID-19 testing. ISPS offers customizable COVID-19 testing services to accommodate your capacity. Community leaders and local government units should provide education to communities on what to do if they get infected or someone they know contracts COVID-19. Localized strategies can be scaled up or down, depending on the situation, feasibility, and resources available.

Regardless of the scale of mitigation needed, the primary defense for communities against COVID-19 is to effectively empower individuals and households to take responsibility for their health. Emphasize individual responsibility for implementing recommended practices such as frequent hand washing, wearing face masks, and social distancing among others. On a broader scale, empowering businesses, schools, and other settings to implement appropriate actions while ensuring access to healthcare and other essential services remain key to creating a safer and healthier community in a pandemic situation.

Finally, it’s important to acknowledge that each community is unique and the appropriate mitigation strategies will vary according to different factors. In summary, communities must promote behaviors that prevent spread, maintain healthy environments, and prepare for when someone gets sick in order to reduce exposure among individuals, reduce transmission, and reduce the burden on the healthcare system as well as enhance access to testing and contact tracing.