Students across the country are preparing to head back to campus this fall amid the ongoing pandemic. Many universities including Stony Brook University are moving forward with new instruction models as well as new safety precautions to help keep students and staff safe from the novel coronavirus.
As we move forward in this new reality, Dr. Sharon Nachman, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, has a few practical tips that may make the transition easier.
- Staying healthy is key. If you are feeling sick, get evaluated. COVID is only one of the illnesses we expect to see on the college campus. Other respiratory infections can occur, as can other medical problems! It’s better to get checked out than to pass COVID to family, people in your dorm, or classroom.
- Masks work. Wear them! They can also be a fashion statement. Use them to express yourself!
- Keeping hands clean with either soap and water or with sanitizer works.
- You will need to work harder to meet people, make friends and find others who are interested in the same things that you are, since many of the regular avenues to meet people will be missing or different from the past.
- How far is too close? If you can reach out and your friend can reach out and your fingers touch-you are too close. While not a perfect assessment, it’s pretty good for measuring how far to stand from each other.
“Your college experience will be different, not better, not worse, but different,” says Dr. Nachman. “Remember the new safety procedures in place at universities nationwide are for you, the students benefit.”
To learn the steps Stony Brook University is taking to ensure a safe return for its students and staff, head to: https://www.stonybrook.edu/comingback/
For Coronavirus information and updates, visit: https://www.stonybrookmedicine.edu/patientcare/coronavirus
For an interview with Dr. Nachman, please contact: Kali.Chan@stonybrookmedicine.edu or 631.487.4092.
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