Dear Members of Gentile Retina,

Love for our patients is at the heart of everything we do. New York was the epicenter of the United States outbreak of COVID-19 as doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to battle the deadly disease. We want to assure you that your health, comfort and well-being are our highest priority. We remain committed to providing an exceptional environment for you to receive your eye care and do not want any of our patients to get sick or go blind.

We are currently open and seeing only patients that are free of COVID-19 with no recent exposure or symptoms of COVID (dry cough, chills, sore throat, fever, headache, muscle pain or loss of smell). If you are unsure, call our office prior to scheduling an in-office appointment and we will offer you guidance. We do offer telemedicine and our doctors and our wonderful and dedicated staff are here to help you through this.

In an attempt to put all of us at ease regarding the current crisis, we want to reiterate to you that our office adheres to the highest standards of cleanliness and sterility. We have increased the disinfecting of high touch surfaces paying careful attention to areas in our reception room including counter tops, door knobs, and testing machines. We are limiting the number of patients in the office and have made wearing masks mandatory to all that enter the office including staff and patients alike.

Hand sanitizer is readily available for all to use throughout our office and we have the windows open to allow fresh air to circulate within the office.

Anyone who has flu or cold-like symptoms such as a cough or a fever, newly developed shortness of breath, or has been in contact with someone who has contracted the virus is not permitted to enter the office and we will reschedule your appointment. Likewise, we are also mandating our staff to follow the same guidelines.

As recommended by the CDC and others, there are preventative actions to help prevent the spread including:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Practice social distancing
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. °Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available
• If you have to be in public, wear a mask at all times and when you are in the office.

Information regarding COVID-19 and individual preventative measures can be found at the following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: CDC.gov