The COVID-19 pandemic is an issue that’s affected the entire world, and experts share that wearing a mask in these times will slow its’ spread. However, there are more steps that we can take to lower the chances of passing the virus along. Things like switching out and washing your masks, washing hands, etc. are proven to lower our numbers. If everyone did all these mitigation efforts, we wouldn’t have to worry about school shutting down on the same level that we do currently and Covid-19 wouldn’t spread as rapidly.

Mr. Beckley, the high school science teacher, highly recommended washing hands frequently. “Washing hands is an obvious one, much better than hand sanitizer. Although, you should still do that. The other big one is social distancing. If everyone did these things, we wouldn’t have to shut down again.” He feels like washing hands isn’t pushed enough as a thing we should do. Beckley also understands that some people may get lazy the longer we’re affected by the pandemic. “Quarantine Fatigue,” he called it. When asked how effective all of these things really are, Beckley answered, “When countries use these in combination they’ve been shown to keep infection ratings really low. Some have avoided shutting down schools because they have really low rates.” Mr. Beckley keeps up with all the news involving Covid-19 and ways to ensure slowing the spread. He encourages students to ask him any questions they have.

The websites for the CDC and WHO have information on keeping yourself and the others around you healthy. Washing your hands is a big part of keeping yourself healthy. You should always be washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and if you can’t wash your hands, using hand sanitizer is the next best thing. Hands should be washed before eating food and touching your face as well as after using the restroom, going to or from a public place, blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, handling your mask, and touching animals or pets. It’s also important to remember that even if you don’t feel sick you can still infect others with the virus. This is why wearing a mask is a must.

Not only will will wearing a mask lower the chances of you getting sick, it also lowers the chances of others getting sick from you. Always be on the lookout for symptoms in yourself like cough, fatigue, body aches, headaches, loss of taste or smell, runny nose, nausea, and diarrhea. If you show any of these symptoms,  you should get tested immediately. Although all of these symptoms are common for other viruses and diseases, you should still treat it like it might be COVID-19. 

Wearing masks is important but so is washing them. If you buy disposable masks in mass, you should switch masks every day. When using other masks, you should make sure you have at least three or four to alternate throughout the week. After wearing a mask, it should be washed. You can just add it to a normal load of laundry and have it go through the washer and dryer. Masks should be completely dry before worn again.

As a reminder, you should wear the mask in any public place as well as when around people who aren’t a part of your household. You should also be socially distancing and washing your hands frequently while you wear a mask because doing both lowers your risk even more. All of these steps are crucial to slowing the spread, so do your part to keep everyone healthy.