Delta Blues Museum
Infectious Disease & Pandemic Policy

News - 07/06/2020

Delta Blues Museum

Shelley Ritter, Director

The Delta Blues Museum is committed to the health and safety of all our guests, staff, students and volunteers.

As the Delta Blues Museum re-opens, we will continue reinforcing our public health practices and policies to maintain a sanitary and safe environment in our public spaces, including our exhibit hall, administrative offices and Gift Shop.

At this time, we are keeping people safe by following all official prevention recommendations for maintaining a clean and healthy environment, including:

• Masks required for all staff and patrons of the museum. If you do not have a mask, the museum can provide one to you for a nominal fee.
• Ensuring hand washing supplies are always well-stocked and that hand sanitizer is available in areas without handwashing sinks
• Having tissues readily available throughout the Museum
• Sanitizing all high-touch surfaces (door knobs, light switches, elevator buttons, etc.)
• Offering sanitizing wipes in common areas for users to clean objects and equipment before/after touching

To anyone who visits us in Clarksdale, we respectfully ask that you utilize the hygiene products we are offering and practice frequent hand-washing. We would also ask that you refrain from making physical contact (handshakes, primarily) with our staff or docents, and - perhaps most importantly - please stay home if you are not feeling well, especially if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms such as fever, coughing or shortness of breath.

Additionally, a committee comprised of the Delta Blues Museum Director, Clarksdale Police Department and the Clarksdale Fire Department have been designated to continually monitor the evolving situation and coordinate any/all events occurring to deter additional outbreaks. The Museum will stay apprised of the CDC's evolving recommendations for avoidance of COVID-19. Upon our re-opening, we hope not to have reason to expect that there will be any disruption to daily work nor to our operations.

We continue to welcome all visitors to Delta Blues Museum and strive to provide the public with the assurance that ours is a safe and healthy facility.

Infectious Disease & Pandemic Policy

PURPOSE: It is the intention of the Delta Blues Museum to proactively protect the workplace in the event of an infectious disease outbreak or pandemic. We are committed to providing authoritative information about the nature and spread of infectious diseases, including symptoms and signs to watch for and actions to be taken in the event of an illness or outbreak. During any time of quarantine or infectious disease outbreak, it is our goal to ensure staff safety while operating effectively and continuously providing all essential services.

GOVERNANCE: A committee comprised of the Delta Blues Museum Director, Clarksdale Police Department, and the Clarksdale Fire Department has been designated to monitor and coordinate events around an infectious disease outbreak, as well as create work rules that would be implemented to promote safety through infection control.

CORONAVIRUS FAQ

WHAT IS CORONAVIRUS? Corona viruses are a large family of viruses that are common in humans and many different species of animals. As of early March 2020, a new string of Coronavirus (version COVID-19) is spreading rampantly in China and some limited transmission has been reported in other countries, including the United States. COVID-19 is a respiratory illness which symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Symptoms can be mild to severe and last anywhere from 2-14 days.

HOW IS CORONAVIRUS SPREAD?

• PRIMARY: Person-to-person; close contact with someone who is infected.
• SECONDARY: Surfaces or objects; touching the mouth, nose or eyes after contracting the bacteria.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19?

• Wash hands frequently and thoroughly. Use soap and warm water, lathering for at least 20 seconds. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers (60-95% alcohol) may be used supplementally, but should not be substituted for hand washing when that option is available.
• Limit physical contact. Avoid handshakes and direct hand contact with doors, elevator buttons etc. Using a closed fist, knuckles, or hip to open doors, pressing switches etc. can go a long way.
• Sanitizing all high-touch surfaces (door knobs, light switches, elevator buttons, etc.)
• Stay home when you're sick. Staff and volunteers should stay home when they're sick. Return to work only once you've been symptom-free for at least 72 hours.
  a. Employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4° F or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 72 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). Employees should notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick.
• Cover coughs and sneezes. Use a tissue to cover coughs and sneezes, then discard it immediately and wash your hands. If a tissue is unavailable, use your elbow or upper sleeve to cover your mouth and nose. Avoid coughing or sneezing into your hands.
• Keep the environment clean. Disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as work stations, countertops, door knobs, light switches, elevator buttons, and remote controls. While we continue standard practices for facility cleanliness, we are taking additional measures to keep all of our common areas disinfected and are adding hand sanitizing stations and supplies throughout the building.
• Take precautions when traveling. As a precaution, if you are planning a trip for business or leisure, please notify your supervisor of your plans including the destination and dates. Should you be planning to travel internationally, we recommend employees check the CDC's Traveler's Health Notices for the latest guidance and recommendations for each country to which you will travel.
• Notify the Director of exposure. If you are well but have a sick family member with COVID-19, notify the Director so that she can discuss a confidential plan for containment with you.

WHAT WILL THE MUSEUM DO TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COVID-19? The museum will stay apprised of the CDC's evolving recommendations for avoidance and containment of COVID-19. We do not have reason to expect that there will be any disruption to daily work nor operations. At this time, we can keep staff, volunteers, and guests safe by following all prevention recommendations above for maintaining a clean & healthy environment. Please do your part to help maintain a clean work environment.

Actions the museum will take immediately:

• Masks are required. Upon the museum re-opening, masks will be required by staff and volunteers.
• Ensure hand washing supplies are always well stocked and that hand sanitizer is available in areas without hand washing sinks.
• Have tissues readily available throughout the museum.
• Sanitize frequently touched surfaces (door knobs, light switches, elevator buttons, etc.)
• Keep sanitizing wipes in common areas for users to clean objects and equipment before/after touching.
• Utilize internal communication channels (primarily email) to notify staff and volunteers of any urgent action needed.
• As a precaution, if you are planning a trip for business or leisure, please notify your supervisor of your plans including the destination and dates. Should you be planning to travel internationally, we recommend employees check the CDC's Traveler's Health Notices for the latest guidance and recommendations for each country to which you will travel.

Actions the museum may take if recommended by the Mississippi Department of Health Services in conjunction with the CDC:

• Close the museum to the public and/or administrative offices until the threat has dissipated.
• Encourage or mandate telecommuting for non-essential personnel.
• Cancel non-essential business travel.
• Require mandatory overtime or an increase in scheduled hours to ensure essential services are met.

More information about COVID-19 can be found at www.cdc.gov