Cite as:

Chen Shen and Yaneer Bar-Yam, Individual, community and government early outbreak response guidelines version 1, New England Complex Systems Institute (February 21, 2020).

Individual and Community Guidelines

  • Practice social distancing

  • Avoid direct contact with others, wash hands regularly, and wear masks

  • Cover coughs/sneezes

  • Avoid gatherings

  • Provide necessities for members of your community without personal contact; supplies can be left outside doors

  • Monitor for temperature or other early symptoms of infection

  • Practice self-isolation if you have early symptoms including fever

  • If symptoms continue to develop, arrange for safe transportation to medical facilities following government recommendations; avoid public transportation, wear masks

  • Be critical of rumors and don’t spread misinformation

  • Take responsibility for your own health and share responsibility for the health of your neighborhood with awareness and discipline

Government Guidelines

  • Prepare in advance strategic resources like masks, PPEs, and test kits, and establish distribution routes

  • Identify areas where infections are confirmed or suspected

  • Stop non-essential transportation between infected and uninfected areas

  • Isolate individuals with suspected and confirmed infections separately for care in designated facilities with adequate medical resources, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

  • People with suspected symptoms should use a specially designed process to be taken to the designated health facilities for testing, avoiding public transportation or cabs

  • Quarantine and test all suspected cases in the vicinity of an identified case

  • Promote public awareness:

    • Typical symptoms and possible means of transmission

    • Emphasize its high rate of contagion and usually mild symptoms to encourage individuals to seek medical care

    • Encourage better individual hygiene, including frequent hand washing, wearing masks in public areas and avoiding contact between individuals

  • Stop public gatherings

  • Pay special attention to prevent or monitor the health of people going in/out of high-density confined facilities like prisons

  • Promote Community Responsibilities in infected areas

  • In each neighborhood/community, select a group of people whose daily job involves frequent human contact. Monitor their condition daily to help detect infections and prevent contagion

  • Engage in communication and distribution of resources to remote areas

  • Coordinate with international communities and WHO to share information about case identification, patient travel history, treatments, prevention strategies, and shortages of medical supplies

  • Plan for treatment of patients with similar symptoms that are not COVID-19 infected

  • In areas with active transmission

    • Close places of worship, universities, schools and corporations

    • Restrict people to homes and provide support for necessities to be delivered without contact

    • Perform door-to-door searches for individuals with early symptoms and needs for services, with necessary PPE precautions, and with community engagement in the effort

For more information on medical and social response, see:

NECSI on the Coronavirus

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