Frequently Asked Questions

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.

• CoxHealth Virtual Visits
• MyMercy

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.

The symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new lost of taste or smell. It is important to remember that these symptoms are common in many illnesses. 

As of July 16, face coverings are now required in areas open to the public and in most place of public accommodation in Springfield, with limited exceptions. Public Accommodation means a business or other facility, both public and private, both indoor and outdoors, open to and use by the public. 

Facial covering is only part of a toolkit—washing hands, practicing respiratory etiquette, and most importantly, staying at home as much as possible is all of vital importance.

The use of a cloth face covering may slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it, from transmitting it to others. It is important that the face coverings are used properly and that physical distancing and handwashing guidelines are still followed.

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

It should also be noted that care must be taken to avoid potential spread of illness by unintended means, such as leaving a covering out after use or failing to wear a covering properly. 

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.

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.

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.