COVID-19 Response

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China and is now known as SARS-CoV-2. For purposes of this notice, references to “Coronavirus” refer equally to SARS-COV-2 and COVID-19. As the Coronavirus continue to spread across many countries, and within the United States, Hacksburg is actively monitoring and assessing the risks that may arise to the health of Hacksburg members. Please be assured that the health and safety of all members is our top priority . At this time, Hacksburg has not closed the workshop. More information will be provided as developments occur.

Latest Updates

Date Updated: 3/18/2020; 10:16am

• Effective Monday, 3/16/2020 through Friday, 3/27/2020 all Virginia K-12 schools are closed.
• Effective Tuesday, 3/17/202 until further notice, all in-person Hacksburg Classes will be cancelled and moved to an online platform (https://meet.hacksburg.org)
• Effective Tuesday, 3/17/202 until further notice, all in-person Hacksburg Meetings will be streamed through an online platform (https://meet.hacksburg.org)

Process and Procedures

The following processes and procedures are designed to maintain the health and safety of our membership and community. Your compliance is essential.

Prevent

Prevention is the best defense, therefore, in order to ensure a safe and healthy environment at Hacksburg, please follow these proactive measures, which are recommended by the World Health Organization and the CDC:

• Wash your hands with soap and warm water for a minimum of 20 seconds; if soap and water are not available use hand sanitizer.
• Do not touch your mouth, nose or eyes.
• Avoid shaking hands.
• Cough / sneeze into your elbow or tissue, discard tissue immediately.
• Use disinfecting wipes on a regular basis to clean your work area, keyboard, mouse, phone, etc.
• Clean commonly used items on a regular basis such as tool handles, door knobs, keyboard/mouse, etc.
• Pay attention to signs of illness and stay home if you feel sick.
• If you experience cold / flu like symptoms:
  • Do not come into the workshop; stay at home and recover.
  • Self-isolate and avoid contact with others.
  • Seek medical treatment immediately from your local PCP / Hospital
  • Please call your physician, urgent care facility or local hospital first before arrival. Facilities have screening questions in place to better handle your individual situation. Carilion is urging patients to use Urgent care facilities so emergency rooms can be kept opened for emergency care.
  • Follow instructions from the medical provider.

Quarantine and Personal Travel

We will follow the CDC guidelines for quarantine. All travelers returning from CDC-specified “Level 3” countries must stay home for 14 days after returning from travel, monitor their health, and practice social distancing. These countries include China, South Korea, and the Schengen Area of Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino,Vatican City, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Social Distancing

Social distancing continues to be key to slowing the spread of COVID-19. Please keep a six foot minimum distance for social interactions whether in the workshop or not. In addition, the latest CDC recommendations include:

• Avoid gatherings of more than 10 people
• Postpone or cancel your personal travel plans
• Do not go out socially. Keep close to home and limit your out-and-about activities to the essential tasks.

Prepare

Through the end of April, all face-to-face meetings and events should be kept to a minimum and video conferencing or call-in networking utilized instead. We will adhere to the concept of “social distancing” where a minimum of 60” distance between people is advised. As a result, the following adjustments must be made to upcoming meetings and events:

• Meetings with large number of attendees are strongly discouraged. In other words, every second chair in a meeting room or area should be empty. Each meeting should have a video or call-in option.
• All classes are to be virtual.
• The platform Hacksburg will be using for these purposes is in progress, and current options include Jitsi or Google Hangouts

Report

A potential exposure to the Coronavirus may have occurred when:

• A member has traveled where active cases of Coronavirus have been reported.
• A member has had contact with a person confirmed to be infected with Coronavirus.
• There is a medical suspicion that a member has contracted the Coronavirus.
• A member is infected with the Coronavirus.
• A member is being monitored or quarantined by local authorities.
• In these cases, the member must report to Board of Directors (board@hacksburg.org) the below information. Do not return to Hacksburg until you have made your report to the Board and have received clearance!
  • Name
  • Contact Details
  • Type of case (return from travel, contact with person infected, medical suspicion, member is infected)
  • Last contact between the affected member and other members

These precautions must be complied with for the health and safety of all Hacksburg members.

Additional Information

• World Health Organization
• US Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• Virginia Department of Health
• Coronavirus disease 2019 (Wikipedia)

Hacksburg Actions

In addition to the notifications on this page, Hacksburg has posted signage at the entrances to the workshops and verified that soap and alcohol for sensitization are present.

To assist the NRV community during the quarantine, Hacksburg is planning outreach activities:

• Online classes will continue to be open to the public and advertised
  • Will develop and advertise new classes more suited to online participation
• COVID-19 Face Shields
  • Hacksburg is coordinating with local organizations to produce DIY face shields for medical facilities and first responders
• Hacksburg is developing child-friendly activities that can be picked up by community members while schools are closed
  • Ideally made using Hacksburg tools and require no special tools to complete at home
  • A crafting project with a STEM or learning focus
  • Simple enough to be completed by a school-age child
  • Ideas for these projects are being collected on COVID-19 Projects. Project ideas can also be sent to board@hacksburg.org
• Creating a team for the Nation of Makers N95 Maker Challenge
  • Use household materials to construct a viable N95 face mask
  • Send a message to rsvp@hacksburg.org to be added to the discussion group and brainstorming sessions
• Standing by to provide any tools and resources requested by local health officials
  • Makers in Italy 3D printing respirator parts
  • 3D Printing of medical shields