Throughout the last three months information about how to stay safe and healthy during these uncertain times has been skewed. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory virus that is spread by direct contact with a being who either has the virus or who is a carrier of the virus. The world has been in a panic since the pandemic, we have to leave the medical field to do their job in the hospital, but there are ways that we can do our part to help prevent the spread of the virus. 

Karisa Saethre, nurse of 23 years has done plenty of research from inside and outside of the hospital on how to keep herself, her family, and her community safe.

One of the main practices she has done with her family for 20 years has been having everybody who enters the house take off their shoes outside.

“Millions of bacteria can be found on the bottom of shoes including deadly strains,” Saethre said. “Keep common touched areas like door knobs, toilets, phones, and remotes sanitized once a day with something like Clorox wipes.”

Nurse Saethre said to be careful when touching your eyes and face, but if you have to, follow this tip.

“If you have to touch your face or your eyes use a Kleenex or wash your hands before and after,” she said. 

With the statewide lockdown we have all been limited to our homes. When we do go out into public for essential needs such as medications or getting groceries, there are practices that we can do to help us not receive or spread the virus. As I am sure many of us have been shown how to create makeshift masks, Saethre does not recommend using an item you want to reuse later because after you have worn your mask out in public, and it is encouraged by CDC that you dispose of your mask immediately after going out into public with it.

“The point of masks is to protect others from you and because many people carry the virus and don’t have symptoms it can help when worn properly in situations where you are around crowds,” Saethre stated. 

While masks are encouraged and in some grocery stores, required to enter, there is one myth that the community needs to stop doing for it is not protecting and only making the situation worse. The practice being is wearing gloves.

“Gloves are not effective unless they are put on properly and taken off properly after they touch any contaminated  surfaces such as door handles, carts, and even groceries that have been touched by others,” Saethre said. “One hundred percent of people I’ve seen using gloves are touching contaminated objects, then touching their face, phone, steering wheel, etc. which defeats the purpose.” 

The global pandemic has caused everybody to rethink actions in their daily lives and to correct them to be safer and healthier for everybody. We are beyond appreciative for every worker in our essential jobs that work everyday to keep us safe and healthy. With these practices we are doing our part as a community to help one another during these uncertain times.