According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2019-nCoV originated in Wuhan City, China and the respiratory virus can spread human-to-human via droplets from sneezing or coughing. Symptoms typically appear 2-14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a Coronavirus Disease Situation Summary. Read it here

Health Agencies: Prepare Now for Coronavirus - Officials from the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health and other agencies warned the public to prepare for the "inevitable" spread of the coronavirus within the U.S. Here are steps employers can take to make sure their business operations and workforce are ready. Read more here.

Follow CDC's guidance with some great tips. Check them out here.

Recommendations to prepare North American Facilities for a potential outbreak of the Coronavirus:

• Have a 3 to 4 day supply of N-95 masks per employee. Example: if you have 100 employees: 100 x 4 = 400 masks
• Have a bottle of hand sanitizer for each employee
• Have forehead thermometers for employee checks
• Require a 14 day quarantine for anyone for anyone who shows affects of the virus. Have them seek medical diagnosis for verification.
• Review your Pandemic Plan. If you don’t have one, time to prepare one.

Monitor the following website for the latest global tracking of the coronavirus:

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

For more information on what member companies are doing, contact the office.