Ensure that appropriate handwashing facilities and hand-hygiene supplies are available.
Stock the sink area with suitable supplies for handwashing, near the point of care and the room door.
Ensure adequate room ventilation.
Post signs on the door indicating that space is an isolation area.
Ensure that visitors consult in charge (who is also responsible for keeping a visitor record) before being allowed into the isolation areas. Keep a roster of all staff working in the isolation areas, for possible outbreak investigation and contact tracing.
Remove all non-essential furniture and ensure that the remaining furniture is easy to clean, and does not conceal or retain dirt or moisture within or around it.
Stock the PPE supply and linen outside the isolation room or area (e.g. in the change room). Setup a trolley outside the door to hold PPE. A checklist may be useful to ensure that all equipment is available
Place appropriate waste bags in a bin. If possible, use a touch-free bin. Ensure that used (i.e. dirty) bins remain inside the isolation rooms.
Place a puncture-proof container for sharps disposal inside the isolation room or area.
Keep the patient's personal belongings to a minimum. Keep water pitchers and cups, tissue wipes, and all items necessary for attending to personal hygiene, within the patient's reach.
Dedicate non-critical patient-care equipment (e.g. stethoscope, thermometer, blood pressure cuff, and sphygmomanometer) to the patient, if possible. Thoroughly clean and disinfect patient-care equipment that is required for use by other patients before use.
Place an appropriate container with a lid outside the door for equipment that requires sterilization.
Keep adequate equipment required for cleaning inside the isolation room or area, and ensure scrupulous daily cleaning of the isolation room or area.
Set up a telephone or other method of communication in the isolation room or area to enable patients, family members or visitors to communicate with health-care workers. This may reduce the number of times the workers need to don PPE to enter the room or area.
