How Long Should I Shelter in Place?
If you receive a shelter-in-place order, the first step is to prepare. Identify your dependents, including water and power. Talk to your doctor about prescription supplies and how you will keep your home and yourself clean. If your power goes out, it is vital to remember to take prescriptions.
The duration of a shelter in-place order
Each state’s shelter-in place order has a different duration. It is affected by COVID-19 mortality, spread rates, and the demographics in the state. It also affects COVID-19 recovery rates. The order also affects health care facilities and employment areas.
If a shelter-in-place order is issued, residents must remain indoors until the situation is under control. This order can be issued in response to an active shooter or tornado, or a chemical danger. While planning to shelter in place, residents must consider food and water availability. Residents should decide if they must barricade themselves.
Considerations for preparing for a shelter-in-place order
First, everyone in the area should arrange to take refuge in a building with a locked, secure door if a shelter is ordered. They should also bring a cell phone and NOAA’s public alert radio. Employees and students should stop working and cease classes once the shelter in place order is issued. If they have to go out, they should seek shelter at the nearest building. They should close all windows and blinds and cover any glass surfaces with heavy plastic garbage bags. Also, facility managers should shut down HVAC systems.
First, it is crucial to determine which functions in the building are most important. Some examples of incidents requiring evacuation include a fire, bomb threat, major structural damage, explosion, or power outage. Healthcare facilities should be prepared for every possible event, regardless of the type of incident.
It is also important to prepare food and water. It is important to make sure that you have water and food to last for the duration of the shelter-in-place order. Sometimes, it might be prudent to barricade the home.
Hospitals and medical facilities should develop and activate an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) before a shelter-in-place order is issued. These plans can help hospitals communicate with emergency agencies more effectively and ensure better situational awareness throughout the hospital. They should also have a clear plan to evacuate.
Limitations to a shelter-in place order
While the number counties with shelter-in-place orders (SIPOs) has increased in recent decades, they were much lower before the state-level SIPO was implemented. Until the March 17th shelter-in-place order, most counties enacted their own local policies. Today, shelter-in-place policies are in force in 70 counties. Both types of policies are in effect in 30 counties. Despite the fact that these policies have some advantages, they are not always ideal.
The updated Shelter-in-Place Order became effective on Monday, May 4, 2020, and will remain in effect until amended or revoked. It eases restrictions on construction and golf courses, and clarifies the restrictions on residential transactions, including rentals and home sales. It also allows for the opening of fabric and craft shops that sell materials used in face coverings and gowns. These provisions allow local businesses to sell personal protection equipment and operate in certain areas.