LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Floyd County Health Department said childcare centers in the southern Indiana county may remain open during the novel coronavirus outbreak if they follow several instructions issued by the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA). 

"Childcare is an essential service," the health department said in a news release Saturday. "This means that the operations of child care are necessary to continue to support the function of societal operations."

Children of first responders, medical professionals and those whose work is "essential for the general community to stay healthy and safe" — including children of those who work in food or "the general supply chain for goods, services and other basic needs" — should be given first priority for care, according to a news release from the health department. 

Childcare providers and operators who are over the age of 60 should close and should not provide care, health officials said. The FSSA is recommending those caregivers, and those with underlying health conditions, to stay home.

Health officials are also encouraging providers to "immediately institute" a plan to check every child's temperature when they are brought in and before their parents leave. Children with temperatures over 100.4 degrees F should return home. Children who have experienced symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea should stay home for at least 24 hours after their last episode, health officials said, and may only return to a childcare facility after they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without being given medication to reduce their fever.

The health department and FSSA are also urging caregivers to use social distancing practices to minimize the mingling of children. More than 20 children should not be allowed in one classroom or area at a time, according to the news release. Health officials also recommending centers to keep the same children in the same groups and with the same teacher or caregiver as consistently as possible. 

Programs and centers are also being encouraged to adjust their daily schedules to dedicate one hour per day to deep clean when children are not present by closing an hour early or opening an hour later than usual. Facilities must temporarily close for deep cleaning and sanitizing if a child or caregiver tests positive for COVID-19. Anyone who was or becomes in direct contact with someone who has tested positive must self-isolate. 

The guidelines were issued a day after the Floyd County Health Department started drive-thru COVID-19 testing for pre-screened patients. As of Friday morning, there were five confirmed cases of the new virus in the county. Some of those patients are being treated at the hospital, while others are being quarantined at home.

Last week, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ordered all childcare centers across the state to close by Friday, March 20. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has not given any such orders.

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