Meals on Wheels of Salem County is continuously monitoring the current COVID-19 situation. While the risk to our community is still low, our primary concern is the health and wellness of our clients and volunteers. At this time we will still be delivering meals, but we will be making adjustments as a precaution.
Beginning on Monday (3/16/20) –
- Our new protocol will be to hang the bagged items on the door knob and then knocking and moving back at least 6 feet.
- We will wait for the client to retrieve the meal before leaving.
- If they do not come to retrieve the meal, we will take it with us since we cannot leave the meal unattended. Volunteers will enter the homes only of clients who are bed bound and unable to answer the door. This is designed to keep both the client and the volunteer as safe as we can.
Clients have been notified of this procedure. We do realize for many clients this will take a longer amount of time, which will likely make meal delivery times longer as well. We appreciate your patience and understanding of this. This protocol is to protect both our clients and devoted volunteers.
We always ask volunteers to refrain from delivering if they are ill and continue to standby that practice. During this time we suggest for everyone:
- Stay home when you feel ill. Stay home both to give yourself some rest and also protect other people in the community.
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Hand-washing is a good practice to reduce exposure to illnesses that can dampen the immune system, making people more susceptible. During this outbreak, consider washing your hands frequently.
- Avoid close contact with clients to protect you both. Remember to be respectfully cautious and mindful of personal space. In particular, avoid standing close to anyone who has cold- or flu-like symptoms.
- Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; germs spread this way.
Meals on Wheels of Salem County also requests that only registered volunteers perform deliveries at this time and that volunteers do not bring anyone else along with you unless they are registered as a MOWSC volunteer.
We appreciate the cooperation and understanding of our clients, their loved ones and volunteers as it is our objective to deliver meals and to keep everyone safe during that process. We will continue to work diligently to provide up-to-date information as it pertains to our daily operations.