COVID Updates

COVID-19 Guidance for The Housing Facility

Before You Come

New Hope Village will begin receiving limited numbers of work teams from out of the area beginning November 15, 2020.

Each team will be treated as a ‘cohort’ or group of individuals who covenant together to follow the protocols of the New Hope Village to limit the spread of Covid19 both within the cohort and in the community of origin and Craven County.

To this end teams will be expected to:

Test for Covid19 prior to embarking on their travel to New Bern. Anyone testing positive will voluntarily quarantine at home and not meet with or travel with the team prior to its departure.
Remain as a group in the Village when not on a work site.
Use face masks on the worksite when anyone other than the members of the cohort are present.
Either order groceries to be brought to the Village or designate one person to shop for groceries. This person will wear a mask at all times when not in the village and use sanitizer for their hands upon their return.
Not invite others to the Village to visit or share meals. In order for cohort protection to work the group must limit contact with anyone outside the cohort.
Report any illness or symptoms of Covid19 to the New Hope Village Coordinator immediately and begin using the isolation protocol. Anyone showing signs of illness will be required to be tested for Covid19 as soon as possible.
Orientation by the staff of the work partner and the New Hope Village will be done by Zoom meeting. Small leadership meetings may be held in the Village office with masks, sanitation procedures and social distancing.

Additional Provisional Guidance
***Based on Brethren Disaster Ministries, Dayton Ohio; CDC & Responsible Restart Ohio guidelines***

Hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol) will be placed at all entrances to the facility used by NHV as well as other locations throughout the facility.
Signage will be posted throughout the facility to remind volunteers and leadership to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
These will include information about:
- Staying home if you are sick or do not feel well.
- Symptoms of COVID-19.
- Using social distancing and maintaining at least six feet between individuals in all areas of the facility.
- Wearing a mask or face covering when entering the building or interacting in close proximity to other volunteers or leadership. Practicing good personal hygiene including washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, using hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes, refraining from touching eyes, nose, & mouth with unwashed hands, coughing & sneezing into an elbow, etc.
Signs will be posted next to the hand sanitizer that indicates it is better to wash your hands especially if visibly dirty.
A supply of cloth masks will be made available to all volunteers and leadership.
Volunteers will be encouraged not to share devotional and/or reading materials but to bring those items from home, write their own or obtain them online.
Volunteers are encouraged to find alternative group games that would not involve direct contact in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19 that could occur while sharing in playing card games or doing puzzles.
Volunteers can share fellowship time together as long as they observe physical distancing guidelines, wear face coverings when indoors and remain in groups of 10 or less.
During orientation & debriefing, volunteers will be provided with and asked to maintain a distance of 6 ft. from one another and will be encouraged to remain flexible and respectful in observing the new guidelines that have been put into place to protect everyone.
The time schedule of operations will be adjusted to allow volunteers and leadership adequate time to adhere to the guidelines and to assist in the process of social distancing in bathrooms, eating & sleeping areas, etc. Also, to allow time for volunteers to assist with proper sanitation processes.

Weekly Volunteer Procedures

NHV will provide touch-free thermometers and all volunteers and leaders will have their temperatures taken each morning and evening and those results will be recorded and kept on file. (All volunteers and leadership are asked to take their temperatures for 3 days prior to arriving at the project site. Volunteers will be asked to stay home if: they do not feel well, show any symptoms of COVID-19, or have been in close contact with anyone displaying symptoms or who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is waiting on test results.)
NHV will track, record and provide contact trace information for all volunteers and leadership.
All volunteers and leaders will be required to sign the New Hope Village COVID-19 Preparedness Agreement prior to finalizing their registration
NHV is prepared to provide our volunteers and leadership with individual PPE such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and /or sanitizing wipes for use during their time of service.
Volunteers will be asked to bring their own hand towel(s) or hankie(s) to use on the work site for wiping sweat, etc.
Volunteers will be encouraged to bring their own sunscreen and bug spray to use on the work site in order to avoid use of common containers. If not, one person will be assigned to distribute the sun screen and then clean the container after use.
Volunteers will be encouraged to mark all personal items used in a common area (i.e. the work or housing site) with their name for ease of identification. (This can be done with an indelible marker or blue tape depending on the nature of the item.

Volunteer Sleeping Areas

All beds in the sleeping areas will be placed at a minimum of 6 ft. apart. (Some CDC guidance suggests that an alternate sleeping arrangement provides additional separation, i.e. head to foot and foot to head.)
If required by the Health Dept. and/or NCDEM guidelines, NHV will place a temporary divider between each sleeping space. This divider would consist of a tarp or shower curtain supported wire. (The nature of these items would allow for ease of cleaning and disinfection in accordance with the CDC guidelines.)
As available, HEPA air purifiers will be placed in all sleeping spaces based on room size. These purifiers will have the appropriate filters for germ defense.
If fans are used in the sleeping spaces they are to be placed so that they are blowing away from volunteers not on them, as recommended by the Responsible Restart Ohio guidelines.
Any bedding belonging to NHV that is used by volunteers during the week will be laundered in accordance with CDC guidelines. Mattresses will be sprayed with disinfectant spray which is EPA approved.
Cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces such as light switches, door knobs, hand railing in the stairwells, etc. will take place daily. At the end of the week all sleeping spaces will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected in accordance with CDC guidelines using EPA approved products

CPAP Machines

Because CPAP machines could have the potential to spread the COVID-19 virus they will be addressed differently. This is due to the fact that the face masks used with the CPAP device can allow aerosols to escape that could contain the virus if the person is ill.)
We realize that some of our volunteers are not able to go without the assistance of these devices. There is a limited amount of isolated space that could be used for those needing to sleep with the assistance of a CPAP machine for medical reasons. If a volunteer uses this isolated area during the week, that area will be cleaned and sanitized using CDC guidelines and EPA-registered disinfectants.
If the isolation areas are not vacant, NHV will make every effort to accommodate volunteers needing CPAP support an alternative space to sleep (this may not be in the Village building)

Restrooms

Signage providing COVID-19 guidelines will be posted in all restrooms.
All restrooms will be cleaned and sanitized daily. Cleaning & disinfecting will be conducted using EPA-registered disinfectants, particularly on high-touch surfaces such as facets, toilets, doorknobs, & light switches.
Antibacterial Hand Soap will be provided and paper towels for hand drying will be made available.
Cleaning and disinfecting products will be made available and volunteers will be asked to sanitize the sink area in the morning and evening after brushing teeth, shaving, etc. Volunteers will also be asked to bring their personal care items to the bathroom in a caddy or carrying case so that those items would have less surface contact with the area in and around the sink.
Whenever it is possible, restrooms doors will be propped open to provide touch-free entry points.

Shower Rooms

Signage providing COVID-19 guidelines will be posted in all showers.
All showers will be cleaned and sanitized daily. Cleaning & disinfecting will be conducted using EPA-registered disinfectants, particularly on high-touch surfaces.
Cleaning and disinfecting products will be made available and volunteers will be asked to sanitize the showers after each use.
A wipeable shower mat will be made available for use in order to avoid using a fabric communal shower mat.
Volunteers will be asked to bring their personal care items, towels, & clothing to the shower in a caddy or carry-all bag in order to limit surface contact.
Hooks are provided for volunteers to hang their towels on in each sleeping area in order to avoid the use of a common drying rack

Kitchen & Dining Room

New Hope Village has two kitchens. Groups are asked to use only the kitchen assigned to their group.
A hand sanitizing station will be placed at the entry to the dining room/kitchen area and at the beginning of the line for meals.
Signage providing COVID-19 guidelines will be posted in the kitchen & dining room areas.
Volunteers will be asked to space themselves out in the dining room and sit in groups of no more than 3 individuals at a table and chairs will be provided accordingly.
All tables will be sanitized after each meal.
No condiments or other items will be placed on the dining tables. Where possible, all condiments will be given out in individual packets from the kitchen upon request.
Cleaning and sanitizing will be done in the dining room and kitchen daily. Cleaning will be conducted using EPA-registered disinfectants, particularly on high-touch surfaces.
Plates will be filled in the kitchen by volunteers who will be wearing gloves and masks. The serving area will be marked off to indicate a 6 ft. distancing for those standing in line and volunteers will get in line by table
A separate area will be set up for dispensing beverages. NHV will be providing beverage dispensers with spouts that allow for the beverage to be dispensed at the touch of a cup or glass and will not need to be touched by hand. All sweeteners, creamers, etc. will be provided in individual packets. Hand sanitizer will be placed in the area as well.
All disposable utensils, plates, cups and bowls will be bagged and put in the outside garbage bins immediately after each meal. No used disposable material will be left on counters or tables after meals. All non-disposable plates, bowls, cups, glasses & utensils will be cleaned & sanitized immediately following meals and preparation periods.
All cooking utensils, pots, pans, etc. used in the preparation of meals will be cleaned and sanitized after each meal and preparation period.
All countertops, appliances, etc. will be cleaned and sanitized regularly in accordance with the guidelines.
Lunch packing will be handled by designated volunteers in each group’s kitchen and passed out to the volunteers. All condiments for sandwiches will be passed out in individual packages. (Each volunteer may be given a lunch order form to complete at supper time on the prior evening.)
Each volunteer will be assigned a plastic thermal lunch box to be used for their lunches during the week and will be provided with the necessary cleaning & disinfecting products to use on that container daily. (No communal ice chests will be used.) Blue ice will be used to keep sandwiches cold and will be placed in ziplock bags that can be easily wiped down. Each cooler will be numbered for volunteers to easily identify and only touch their own.
Individual bottled water will be made available to the volunteers and leadership. (No communal water jug will be used.)
With regard to the snack shelf area, all snacks such as chips, cookies, breakfast bars, etc. will be individually packaged and volunteers will be asked to use a glove when selecting items from this area. (A supply of disposable gloves will be made available for this purpose.)
All household leadership and volunteers will have their temperatures monitored daily using the touch-free thermometer. Those temperatures will be recorded and kept on file.
All leadership and volunteers will be asked to maintain the 6 ft. distancing in the kitchen area whenever possible. They will be encouraged to avoid switching tasks when possible to reduce cross contamination concerns and increase handwashing if changing tasks is necessary. Wherever possible, work station areas will be set up in the kitchen to assist with this process. (As required by the Health Department, handwashing guidelines will be posted at sinks and work stations.

COVID-19 Procedure for Sickness

If someone in a group on a NHV site should exhibit symptoms of COVID-19:

Project Leadership will work to follow local instructions on seeking care and obtaining testing and the NHV Coordinator will be notified.
The person will be isolated at the housing site until the test result has returned or the group returns home.

If someone in a group should test positive for COVID-19:

The person testing positive and the whole group will return home immediately to quarantine for 14 days. Conversations with the NHV office, Work Partner Leadership and group leader will occur to determine how the person testing positive will travel.
Project Leadership who were in contact with the person will quarantine for 14 days and the groups scheduled for the following 2 weeks may be cancelled.
Project leadership will collect a contact tracing list for the group that includes all of the members in the group, leadership, homeowners, partners, church members or others who had any contact of at least 15 minutes with any volunteers and public places that volunteers have been. Leadership will notify all of those outside of NHV of any potential contact.

Before Traveling

All volunteers should not leave home if:

They are exhibiting symptoms of any illness before departure. Volunteers are also recommended to monitor their temperature 3 days prior to travel and not travel if it has been above 100 degree during any of these checks.
They have been in contact with someone in the last 14 days who has tested positive with or is waiting on a test result for COVID-19.
They are not comfortable traveling with a group or observing the safety protocol that is now required on the New Hope Village.

NHV Office / Paperwork

Incoming leadership will receive guidance and information regarding the new procedures that are being put into place by the ministry in order to protect our volunteers, fellow leaders, homeowners, partner agencies, local businesses, and the community at large.
Team leadership will be encouraged to review the CDC and NC Department of Health guidelines as well as the New Hope Village protocol. This information will be posted in the NHV Office area and also made available online.
The NHV Office area will have limited access to anyone other than leadership. The office space is large enough to allow for 2 to 3 leaders to be working in that space at one time and maintain 6 ft. distancing between workstations.
Paperwork will be kept to a minimum with limited handling by the volunteers. (Use of more online forms will be encouraged). Group information would be shared in a plastic sleeve or on a white board as these options would allow for ease of wipe down.
Hand sanitizer/or sanitizing wipes will be provided in the office for those working in the office area.
Regular cleaning and disinfecting will take place daily. At the end of the week there will be a deeper cleaning done using EPA approved products.