Frequently Asked Questions

Should I seek medical care?

If you have a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, you should seek medical attention—particularly if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19. Contact your healthcare provider before you go to tell them about your symptoms and recent travel history.

If you are sick, you can use virtual care options to seek medical treatment without exposing others to illness.

How is COVID-19 spread?

There is still much to learn about how this novel coronavirus is spread. It is thought to spread between people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet), and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected coughs or sneezes.

What are the symptoms?
Are there any preventative products?

At this time there are no vaccines, cures, or preventative products for COVID-19.

Should I be wearing a face mask?

Wearing a cloth face covering is recommended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. As of July 16th, masks are required in public places inside the Springfield city limits. Click here for masking ordinance FAQs

Wearing a face covering is one part of our toolkit for fighting against COVID-19—washing hands, practicing respiratory etiquette, and most importantly, staying at home as much as possible is all of vital importance.

We recommend wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other physical distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. You can find information on how to make a proper cloth face covering here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders.

What does isolation mean? What does quarantine mean?

Isolation and quarantine are both used to protect the public by preventing exposure to people who are sick or who may be sick.

  • "Isolation" refers to separating a sick person from others.
  • "Quarantine" refers to separating people who are not sick, but may have been exposed to an illness, from others.

You can read more about the distinction between these terms here.

What about international students?

Nationality is not a risk factor for COVID-19. An individual is only considered at risk for this illness if they or a very close contact have recently traveled to an area impacted by COVID-19, regardless of race.

View Frequently Asked Questions about the stay-at-home order.

For more Frequently Asked Questions, visit the CDC’s FAQ page. (Español | 中文)