COVID Safety

This is for volunteers on-site at our office

For everyone’s safety, we’re all asked to keep us informed if:

• You or someone in your household has possibly contagious symptoms. 
• You have been exposed to COVID or another serious illness in ways more likely than normal to spread illness to you and then possibly others. 

When either of the above happens to you, as soon as practical, please send a phone text to 1 212 280 0333 summarizing the situation, so we can decide when it’s appropriate for you to be in our office.

Please do not visit our office if you’ve:

• Tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
• Experienced any symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
• Been in close contact (within 6 feet for more than 10 minutes) in the last 14 days with anyone whom you know or believe likely to have been infectious with COVID-19 at the time of your exposure to them.  The incubation (infectious) period begins at the time they themselves were first exposed to someone with COVID, not when their symptoms begin.  So if your friend was exposed to COVID on Sunday, ate lunch with you on Thursday, and began having symptoms on Friday, your exposure to COVID was on Thursday, even though your friend was asymptomatic (had no symptoms) at the time.  People are usually considered infectious during this presymptomatic period (in this case, Sunday to Friday).

• If you’re not already scheduled, confirm in advance there’s room for you before visiting.
• Show us proof of full vaccination. You can text your zip code to 438829 for a list of local vaccination sites, or go to nyc.gov/vaccinefinder or the vaccines.gov website. A search for COVID vaccine near me may also be helpful.

Until you have full vaccination protection, we require showing results of a COVID test at least once every week. The rapid test is sufficient. 

COVID tests are available for free.  For example, there’s a CityMD very near our office, on the SW corner of 29th St and 7th Ave. Wait time varies, but at this location it’s often as little as 15 minutes. All CityMD locations offer the rapid test results 15 minutes after the test. 

Once you can show proof of full vaccination, no further COVID testing is required for at least six months. We’ll follow CDC guidance on this timing.

• Until you’re fully protected by the vaccine, bring and wear a face mask. You can remove your mask while you eat. No talking without a face mask. 
• Use our hand sanitizer upon arrival and after each visit to the bathroom.
• Cooperate with additional precautions.
• Note: As weather allows, our windows may be open for better air circulation, so warmer or cooler clothing may be more comfortable for you.  We have a powerful air filter, which we can also run on request.

For your comfort, we may:

• Schedule a time for you when fewer volunteers are present and/or require all in our office to wear masks without identifying who requested this.
• When only fully vaccinated people are present, we may allow volunteers to remove masks. You must still always have a mask ready with you at our office.

Remember the four key actions to prevent COVID-19 transmission:

• Stay home if sick: Stay home if you are sick unless you are leaving for essential medical care (including COVID-19 testing) or other essential errands.
• Physical distancing: Stay at least 6 feet away from others.
• Wear a face covering: Protect those around you. You can be contagious without symptoms and spread the disease when you cough, sneeze or talk. Face coverings help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Practice healthy hand hygiene: Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available; avoid touching your face with unwashed hands; and cover your cough or sneeze with your arm, not your hands.