What to Do When You Come in Contact with COVID

Realistically these days it is not a matter of if you come into contact with COVID, more of when. What do you do when that time comes? This week that time came for me and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to share a plan with you so we could work through it together and give you a game plan.

A dear friend was kind enough to drive me to a doctor appointment, this meant we were in a vehicle together for about three hours. She started having symptoms the following day that continued and within a week started to run a fever. Upon getting a fever she went in to get tested. Since we live in a smaller community, tests are not immediate, we are told 2-5 days for results. She let me know as soon as she went for testing.

My choice is now to decide if I should treat this like a positive until I know otherwise or let it go. Deciding the morally right thing to do by my clients and others I may come into contact with if I keep my own pedicure appointment or my son’s haircut appointment, etc. I treat her notification as a positive until I know differently and go in for testing that afternoon. The clinic confirms that I meet the criteria to be tested, I am to self-isolate from my family and that they will not be tested unless I test positive.

The test, for lack of a better description, felt like it set off a gag reflex in your eyes and nose, burning and stinging.

Next is contacting my clients. I will reschedule those that I have booked until I get my test results back. How do you tell them in a professional manner, without causing panic, without being rude, without letting them down, without letting on how frustrated you are, so many things to think about. I will share with you what I wrote so you have an example that you can use to get an idea where to start and it’s not so overwhelming for you when you need to do this.

“Good evening! I’m writing with unfortunate news. I’ve possibly been directly exposed to COVID. I received the news this morning and took immediate action to get tested this afternoon. The results are expected to take 2-5 days. At this time I feel it would be best to adjust this week’s appointments. Your health and safety are at the top of my priorities. I will contact you once the results are in to reschedule based on what they are and the timeline you feel comfortable with. At this time I do not have any symptoms and am self-isolating from my family. Please know that I will continue to do everything in my power to keep your nail experiences safe. Enjoy the rest of your week and be healthy out there!

Once the test results come back I will be able to create an action plan of either a longer self-isolation or back to work. This was the first time I had to put the theory of exposure to the test which gave me the ability to make sure my ideas for keeping my clients safe became actions for keeping my clients safe.

Have you thought about eventualities? A good plan of action and good communication with your clients is a must. While the top priority should be the health of you and your family, your clients should be right up there after that. We have an ethical obligation to them, if not an emotional connection, that makes keeping them safe important.

Holly L. Schippers, your personal FingerNailFixer®, is based in the US, and has been a nail professional since 1999. She attended the Creative Institute in England in 2004, going on to become an award winning nail professional with a desire to help others through teaching, writing, and social media. Holly believes education is the foundational component in producing professional nail technicians and enjoys sharing her love and passion for nails to advance the industry by helping each individual professional advance themselves. Read her blogs, and connect with Holly on her site.