MSM Coronavirus (COVID-19) Prevention and Preparedness Plan
March 6, 2020
Dear MSM Community:
The spread of Coronavirus across the globe and in the United States is a growing public health concern. On the evening of Monday, March 2, 2020, Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp and other state officials confirmed Georgia’s first two cases of COVID-19 in Fulton County.
You should know that the symptoms are similar to influenza and the common cold. However, in more serious cases, the virus has resulted in death. We encourage you to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19 and the flu, by following federal and state guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health.
To protect yourself:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home from school and work when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a household cleaning spray or wipe.
While global efforts are currently focused on containing the spread and mitigating the impact of this virus, our goal is prevention and preparedness. An Atlanta University Center Coronavirus Task Force was formed to exchange information and best practices for prevention and preparedness with our colleagues. In addition, we have updated our emergency response processes and developed a business operations plan, in the event that our campus community learns of any coronavirus cases among our faculty, students, staff, or campus visitors.
As Spring Break season approaches, based on federal and state recommendations, an MSM faculty, staff and student policy has been developed to restrict travel to countries that have been issued level 3 or 4 warnings from the U.S. Department of State. All travelers will be required to register their international destination and dates of travel with the MSM Human Resources: (404) 752-1713 or dbritt@msm.edu.
Stay informed of institutional updates by visiting our Coronavirus Advisory webpage and downloading the Campus Shield app from Google Play or Apple iTunes app store.
Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD, FACOG
President and Dean
Morehouse School of Medicine