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COVID-19 Safety Measures and FAQs

Updated:  February 1, 2021    

To our valued patients and clients:

As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in the U.S., coming to your physical therapy appointment and/or exercising as a member of the Wellness Program can become sources of anxiety. We are aware that you are concerned about shared gym equipment, shared locker rooms, and shared space. This is especially important for our high-risk physical therapy patients and personal training clients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the people with an increased risk for developing serious illness include older adults and those with an underlying chronic illness such as heart disease, high blood pressure, lung disease, obesity, or diabetes. Telehealth services are available for high-risk patients who are unable to physically come into the clinic. We have a few thoughts for you to consider when deciding about coming into the clinic.

Your safety is always our first priority. We have trained our staff and are applying additional hygiene and repetitive cleaning practices to ensure our clinic remains safe.

We are following the CDC Guidelines:

  • Temperature and COVID screening of all staff and patients/members before entry
  • Masks worn at all times by patients and staff
  • Use of hand sanitizer when entering the clinic 
  • Cleaning all equipment prior to and following patient/member use in addition to general equipment cleaning several times a day.
  • Sanitizing private treatment rooms before and after each use with an EPA-approved cleanser
  • Adhering to Montgomery County occupancy guidelines
  • Adhering to the 6-foot social distance standard

Additional initiatives include:

  • Modified sign in procedure: we sign you in so no pen handling or touching the front desk surface is required
  • Hand sanitizer readily available throughout the clinic
  • All staff wearing appropriate PPE
  • Leaving treatment room doors open when possible to optimize ventilation
  • Directed entry and exit from clinic to maintain social distancing
  • We ask that family members wait outside of the clinic or in the car to limit the number of people inside the clinic. If you need assistance entering the building, please call the office and we will meet you outside.

  • Credit card payments may be taken over the phone.  If you choose to pay while in the clinic we offer contactless payment.
  • UV-C lights in the HVAC system to sanitize the air as it passes through the vents. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) kills or inactivates microbes by damaging their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), reducing virus and bacteria in the air.



COVID Exposure or Illness Guidelines:

  • If you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and are NOT experiencing symptoms, please wait 10 days before coming in for your appointment. Alternatively, you can take a PCR COVID test at day 5 after exposure and return at 7 days post-exposure if the test was negative. If the test is positive, you must wait 10 days from the positive test, even if you are symptom-free.

 

  • If you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID and are experiencing symptoms, please wait at least 10 days from the onset of your symptoms before returning to therapy.  You must be symptom-free for 24 hours after day 10 before returning.

 

  • If you have tested positive for COVID, please wait at least 10 days from the positive test, even if asymptomatic, before returning to therapy.  You must be symptom-free for 24 hours after day 10 before returning.

 

  • If you had a severe illness from COVID-19 (you were admitted to a hospital and needed oxygen), your healthcare provider may recommend that you stay in isolation for longer than 10 days after your symptoms first appeared (possibly up to 20 days) and you may need to finish your period of isolation at home.

 

  • If you have received the vaccine and you feel that you are experiencing side effect symptoms, please wait until symptoms have subsided before returning to therapy.

  

We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we all work together to learn a new routine and adapt to an ever-changing public health climate.

Due to the rapidly changing nature of this pandemic, we will continue tracking updates from the CDC and will adjust our policies and procedures accordingly. As always, we are here to answer any questions you may have and can be reached at 301-948-4395 or via email at rockville@fyzical.com.

Links to CDC Resources:

https://www.cdc.gov/covid-19 - Make sure you take some time to browse the website. It’s full of up-to-date information.

Quick links from the CDC website:

What you should know (we recommend you read through all of the subsections)
Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Communities
Protect Yourself and Your Family
People at Higher Risk and Special Populations