Written by: TFVstaff • August 3, 2020• COVID-19

Everyone Can Help Stop the Spread of COVID-19, Here’s How

As businesses and services reopen nationwide, the death toll from COVID-19 continues to rise, and experts warn that Americans must continue taking precautions to help stop the spread of the virus.

“In states across the country, the spread of COVID-19 is staggering and concerning. We all have a role to play in stopping the spread and protecting ourselves, our family and our neighbors,” says Susan R. Bailey, M.D., president of the American Medical Association (AMA). “The science is clear. We know what stops the spread of the virus – wearing cloth face masks, physical distancing and regularly washing hands — and it is on all of us to practice these steps. Without a vaccine for this novel virus, the only way to turn the tide and recapture a sense of normal is by working together.”

The AMA offers the following guidance and insights that can help keep you, your friends and your loved ones healthy and safe.

Wear a cloth face mask: Take the simple steps that science has shown will help stop the spread of the virus: wearing a cloth face mask, maintaining physical distancing and washing your hands. The simplest tried-and-true methods are still the most important.
Keep up with doctor visits: Before you decide to forgo routine care or screenings, talk to your doctor. Physicians are using telehealth services and have taken painstaking precautions to make their practices safe. Make sure you keep up with your vaccines, and don’t let something that in normal circumstances could be handled with an early visit to your physician land you in the hospital.
Be mindful that re-opening is not the same as a return to normal: When indoors, wear a mask, even in restaurants and stores that are open. Consider dining outdoors whenever possible. Stay connected with friends and family, but do so in a physically-distant and safe manner, including small outdoors gatherings where masks and hand sanitizer are used.
Take time to clear your head and rest: With many people working from home or working under more stressful conditions, it is important to take mental health breaks. Get up and move, take a walk outside, step away from the computer, and take days or hours off from work.

As the death toll from COVID-19 continues to rise, physicians, nurses, hospital and health system leaders, researchers and public health experts want Americans to know that it is within their power to help stop the spread of the virus.

Courtesy StatePoint. Photo: FamVeld / iStock via Getty Images Plus

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