COVID19 Volunteer Protocols

Volunteer Health and Safety Protocols

Updated: 3/16/21

In order to keep everyone safe and healthy please read the following volunteer protocols carefully. These protocols follow the most current CDC recommendations. As you know, there are members of our community who fall into high-risk health categories so we need to be extremely cautious.

1. Masks

Volunteers must wear masks covering their mouth and nose at all times in our facility whether they’ve been vaccinated or not.

2. Gloves

Everyone is required to wash their hands thoroughly and wear gloves. Gloves will be provided.

3. Clothing

Volunteers must wear closed-toe shoes (NO sandals or flip-flops) and clothing suitable for food service (NO bare shoulders, midriffs, or tank tops).
Long hair must be tied back.
Out of respect for the people we serve, we ask volunteers to dress in a professionally casual manner.
Aprons will be provided.

4. Health of Volunteers

Volunteers who have exhibited any COVID-19 related symptoms, such as sore throat, new or worsening cough, fever, or shortness of breath may volunteer when they have gone 3 days with no fever, improved respiratory symptoms, and 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared. If you believe or know you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please follow the protocols described below.

- If you travel outside of the Portland metro/SW Washington area, please refrain from volunteering for 10 days upon your return.
- If you have had close contact with someone with COVID-19, refrain from volunteering for 10 days or longer if you develop symptoms.
- If you are at least two weeks past your final vaccination for COVID-19:
  1. You do not need to quarantine from volunteering after traveling or after being exposed to someone with COVID.
  2. Please remain conscientious about symptoms of illness and refrain from volunteering if you are feeling ill.

What to do if you are possibly exposed to or infected with COVID19

Close contact to a confirmed COVID-19 case:
Quarantine for 14 days after your last exposure to a contagious case. This quarantine does not change if a person has a negative SARS-CoV-2 test. This is because the person may develop COVID-19 further into the quarantine period.

NOTE: “Close contact” is defined as someone who was within six feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes within 48 hours of when symptoms first appeared or a positive test result. Or you were in this proximity at any time following symptoms or positive test prior to the individual isolating.

Positive COVID-19 test but no symptoms:

You may return to Blanchet House after at least 10 days have passed since the date of your first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test, assuming you have not subsequently developed symptoms since your positive test.

NOTE: Because symptoms cannot be used to gauge where individuals are in the course of their illness, it is possible that the duration of viral shedding could be longer or shorter than 10 days after a positive test.

Positive COVID-19 test and symptoms. You may volunteer at Blanchet House if:

At least 72 hours have passed since recovery, which is defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath); and,
At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

Symptoms exist but you have a negative COVID-19 test during the monitoring period. You may volunteer at Blanchet House after:

3 days with no fever and;
Respiratory symptoms have improved (e.g. cough, shortness of breath) and;
10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared

You think you had COVID-19 and had symptoms but haven’t been tested. You may volunteer at Blanchet House after:

3 days with no fever and;
Respiratory symptoms have improved (e.g. cough, shortness of breath) and;
10 days since symptoms first appeared has passed

If you have any questions about volunteering, health, and safety at Blanchet House please contact us at volunteer@blanchethouse.org or call 503-241-4340.