Guidelines from CICLSAL

On behalf of Sister Sharon and RCRI, please see below, advice from CICLSAL to all superiors on how to care for members and protect from coronavirus spread. 

This advice was received in an email from UISG. 

Christopher Fusco

RCRI

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Brief Guidelines for Religious Communities  

General: The person in charge of the house must know the telephone numbers of the Ministry of Health and the local health authorities to be contacted in case of suspected Covid-19 infection. Information materials on the hygienic sanitary measures to be observed to avoid contagion can be displayed at the entrance of the houses (attached are the brochures of the Italian Ministry of Health, the WHO and the BBC that can be displayed). 

In the house:  To arrange adequate hand washing/hygienisation systems at the entrance of the house so that everyone can wash/sanitise their hands as soon as they enter the house – To wash hands frequently, whenever it is believed that they may have been contaminated – To air the rooms frequently - Also in the house keep a safety distance of one metre: at the time of common prayer and during meals, meetings, etc.. - In houses in which numeorus religious live it is preferable to take turns in eating in order to maintain a safety distance - Do not exchange your phone or other objects for personal use with others - Clean all surfaces, including the phone, with alcohol or chlorine solution - If you sneeze or cough, always protect your nose and mouth with disposable tissue or elbow fold (do not use cloth to dry your nose, possibly wash it immediately). If you cover yourself with your hand, never touch your eyes and nose afterwards but wash your hands immediately. - If someone has fever, flu symptoms, conjunctivitis, loss of taste or smell, consult your doctor or the ASL. - Anyone with these symptoms even if they have not been swabbed should be considered positive for Covid 19 and should be isolated from others, take their meals alone in their room and, if possible, use a separate toilet. Where a separate toilet is not possible, the toilet should be thoroughly cleaned and sanitised after use of a symptomatic person. – Beware of the promiscuity of towels or toothbrushes or personal hygiene items - The person with the above symptoms must wear the surgical mask when leaving the room. Those who may be assisting them should also wear the surgical mask. It is preferable to use disposable materials for eating - The handles of the doors and windows touched by the individual in isolation must be cleaned - The asymptomatic individuals in quarantine must follow the same rules as the positive individuals at Covid 19 – Contacts between elderly and young people have to be ALWAYS limited as much as possible and in any case with all those who live within a community and have contact with the outside environment

 In services outside the house

 If possible wear a mask, when helping a poor or elderly person (the surgical mask is mainly used to protect our poor friends) - Even when visiting homes, keep a distance of one meter, avoid crowding - Always ask your poor friends if they have flu symptoms and possibly help them to contact the official channels of the Health Ministry or local health authorities for the control of Covid-19 - Wash / sanitize hands in and out of the houses or other places you may visit.