If you're a student living away from home what should you be doing to prevent
the spread of coronavirus. And what should you do if you think you've come
into contact with someone who has it? As the virus spreads, more and more people
are being advised to distance themselves physically from others, and to isolate
themselves if they've been around someone who carries it. Yet if you're a
student living in a dorm with others, or a house, or an apartment this is easier
said than done. The trouble is, sometimes you have no
choice but to share a bathroom with someone else, or a kitchen, or a bedroom.
And as reasonable as staying in your room for two weeks may sound on paper,
that piece of paper probably doesn't realize just how impossible it is to
live with your roommates after a few days of being cooped up with them. Or how
close that dwindling supply of toilet paper can bring them to re-enacting the
Hunger Games. The good news though is that there are some basic rules of thumb
to surviving coronavirus as a student with your health, your sanity, and your
friendships left intact. One: if you need to cough or sneeze, please don't share it
with everyone else! Rather, use a tissue or your sleeve just in case your
expelled bodily fluids contain something that someone else would rather
not have. Two: wash your hands with soap as often as possible. And yes I know that
it's a pain and you've never seen the need to do this in the past, but trust me
on this. And as for how long to wash the chorus of Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" is about
right at 20 seconds ... just sayin'. Three: you really don't need to wear a mask. But if
you insist, remember that masks are better for
stopping you infecting others, than preventing them from infecting you. And
unless you're wearing an approved respirator that's being properly fit-tested,
the chances are that it's not going to protect you anyway. Sorry!
Four: If possible, keep a ready supply of hand sanitizer in your room, and use it
before you touch anything when you get in. It'll help keep the virus where it
belongs, which is not where you live! Five: practice avoiding skin contact
with opening doors or pushing elevator buttons when outside your room. This is
where a sleeve, or any other piece of fabric, is your best friend. Six: it's okay
to order food online if you're self isolating or in quarantine. If you can though,
buzz the person delivering the food up and ask them to leave it outside
your door. Or if you're in a dorm, ask a friend to pick it up from the delivery
person and leave it by your door. Seven: regularly disinfect surfaces that may
have become contaminated. But make sure you use EPA-approved wipes and sprays
that are good for tackling coronavirus. Clorox wipes are a pretty safe bet here.
And eight: if you think you have COVID-19 -- which is the disease that's associated
with novel coronavirus -- or you might have been exposed, and you're not feeling so
good, do get yourself checked out. But *please* call ahead before your visit to
your healthcare provider, so you're not hanging around and potentially infecting
others. And only think about going to the emergency room if you're really sick
with a fever, cough, and trouble breathing,
otherwise you could be making it harder for people who are worse off than you to
get treated. Thankfully, even if you're infected by the corona virus, the chances
are that if you're healthy you'll get over it and be fine. But some people
won't. And the faster it spreads, the harder it'll become to protect people
who need the most help. But by following these rules of thumb, you can reduce the
chances of yourself and others around you becoming infected and, importantly,
you can help slow its spread. These are just rules of thumb though. For more
information on the coronavirus and how to stay healthy as well as keeping
others healthy, do check out the links in the blurb below. And as always stay safe.