Protect each other

Help our community stay safe and healthy

Taking steps to prevent infection from the novel coronavirus can help keep you safe. It also protects your family, your co-workers and people you encounter in public places like the grocery store or park. Staying at home when you’re sick isn’t the only way to stop the spread of COVID-19 (although it is a very important one!). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 35% of those who have the virus don’t have symptoms. You can also spread the virus before you start having symptoms. It can take two to 14 days to show symptoms after you’ve been exposed to the virus. To help keep everyone in our community safe, consider these safety measures from “Ad Astra: A Plan to Reopen Kansas” and the CDC. Stay home as much as you can (and find fun ways to enjoy your time there starting on page 30). The main way COVID-19 is thought to be spread is from person to person, especially between people who are in close contact with each other. Maintaining good social distance of at least 6 feet is very important to preventing the virus’s spread, the CDC reports. Keeping about two arm lengths between you is a good way to measure. The virus spreads through respiratory droplets produced when someone coughs, sneezes, or talks. To help prevent these droplets from traveling in the air, the CDC recommends people wear cloth face coverings in

Keeping at least 6 feet between yourself and others is important everywhere: even outdoors!

public places, including at grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. It may be possible to get COVID-19 by touching a surface with the virus on it and then touching these areas. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces like phones, keyboards, doorknobs, handles and light switches daily.

GLOVES DON’T BELONG ON THE GROUND

While you may choose to take precautions by wearing masks or gloves in public, it’s important to be thoughtful about how you dispose of them. Used gloves and disposable masks are littering parking lots at grocery stores, pharmacies and other public areas. Over time, they find their way into storm drains, where they cause obstructions and drainage problems. They also end up in streams, which creates dangers for wildlife. If you wear gloves or a mask in public, always make sure you dispose of them in a trash can. Or, leave the gloves at home and just make sure to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Public health organizations say gloves aren’t necessary unless you’re cleaning or caring for someone who is sick.