A note to our community about COVID-19.

• Keep supporting pros and small businesses when safe and possible.
• Keep your distance. Wear a cloth face cover. Make sure your space is well ventilated.
• Hire remote services, or services that maintain distance between you and the pro. Customers can look for the “Offers remote services” badge in search results and pro profiles.
• Ask pros about their ability to provide no-contact delivery options or remote services.
• Use digital payments instead of cash or check.
• Ask pros about buying gift cards or buying packages for future work. This is often a great way to get a discount and support small businesses through this tough time. Customers can look for the “Discounts available” badge in search results and pro profiles.
• Consider tipping, or paying now for work that you’ve postponed.

Thumbtack is encouraging pros to review CDC safety guidelines and pledge to take preventive measures to limit their — and your — exposure to COVID-19, including:

• Maintain 6 feet of distance from customers
• Wear cloth face covers during the job
• Wear gloves during the job
• Disinfect surfaces touched during the job

Customers can see if a pro has pledged to take preventive measures in their profile.

We encourage you to stay safe. Based on current CDC guidelines, we recommend wearing a cloth face cover, distancing yourself from pros while they work and sanitizing any involved spaces afterward. Please understand that any interactions with pros could carry some risk; ultimately you should only take on projects you are comfortable with given your situation. If you postpone projects, consider paying upfront now to help pros out (but make sure you have a clear written agreement with a pro before paying).

Always follow local health restrictions and be respectful of pro safety in and around your home.

• If you want or need to postpone appointments, contact your customers as soon as possible.
• Let customers know you’re taking their health and safety seriously by keeping up to date on CDC guidelines. Your profile can show prospective customers that you’re taking preventive measures to limit their — and your — exposure to COVID-19. Click the link on your profile to get started.
• Keep in touch with your fellow pros in our Pro Community and navigate this together.
• Go to our Thumbtack Help page for product tips to help you adapt.
• If you can’t work right now, hide your business so you won’t get new leads you can’t take on.
• If possible, consider offering remote services, or offer digital consultations for future projects. Use profile badges to tell customers that you offer a remote service (not available to all services). You can add available badges by going to your profile. Make sure to download the latest version of our app first.
• Prepare for fluctuations in demand. We expect demand to increase as COVID-19 is addressed. Use profile badges to tell customers if you’re offering discounts. You can add available badges by going to your profile. Make sure to download the latest version of our app first.

We encourage you to stay safe. If you choose to take a job, based on the CDC’s current recommendation, wear a cloth face cover, wash your hands frequently and distance yourself from customers while you work.

If your local health officials are restricting activity, make sure you follow their directions — some services are considered essential, and others are not.

We understand that for many pros, your business is your livelihood.

Our dedicated Thumbtack Help page has product tips to help you adapt. We’ll also continue to update this page with any new information or resources. If you are looking for further assistance, you can contact our Thumbtack Support team directly.

Visit our Business Resilience board in our Pro Community for updated resources.

A coronavirus is a virus that causes respiratory infections. COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus.

According to the CDC, the most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness and dry cough. COVID-19 can be easily spread by people who are asymptomatic — people who don’t feel ill at all. Older people and those with underlying medical problems are more likely to develop serious illness. People with fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.

Here’s what the CDC recommends:

• Wash your hands. Washing them thoroughly for at least 30 seconds with soap and water helps kill the virus. An alcohol-based hand rub is the next best option if you can’t wash your hands.
• Avoid close contact. Put 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household.
• Cover your mouth and nose. Everyone should wear a cloth face cover in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
• Cover your cough or sneeze. Use your elbow, not your hands. Or use a tissue, and then throw it away immediately.
• Clean and disinfect. Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets and sinks.
• Monitor your health daily. Be alert for symptoms. Watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms of COVID-19.

The situation is changing hour by hour. We recommend listening to the CDC and your local health officials. Some states and counties have stricter guidelines in place.