Taking Cover to Combat COVID-19
On June 1, Einstein moved to Phase 1 of returning to regular operations, expanding the number of faculty, staff, and other members of the campus community who will come to work in laboratories and offices throughout the College of Medicine. With the number of people on campus increasing by one-third to 40 percent, Einstein leadership updated its COVID-19 policies to reflect issues and concerns around having more people on campus, particularly those that ensure everyone’s safety. These provisional policies can be accessed on the new COVID-19-designated website, which launched on May 30.
In this video, Jeremy Heller and Delia Vieira-Cruz, in EHS, demonstrate how to properly wear a surgical mask and provide other helpful pointers for good mask etiquette.
Among the safety measures that is being emphasized and reinforced is the need for anyone on campus to wear a mask whenever they are out in public or in a workspace with others—anywhere they could encounter another individual, even if safe social distancing of six feet or more is possible. To support members of the Einstein community in adhering to this mandate, Einstein’s security staff is distributing surgical masks to employees and authorized visitors entering our Jack and Pearl Resnick campus, unless someone has their own mask that they prefer to use.
![In order to wear any mask properly, it should cover both your nose and your mouth.]()
In order to wear any mask properly, it should cover both your nose and your mouth.
Why Are Masks Important?
Experts are constantly learning about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and how to protect against it. So, one might ask, “What’s the purpose of the mask if I’m already washing my hands and social distancing?”
“When used properly, a mask covers your nose and face,” said Dr. Stephen Baum, senior advisor in the office of student affairs and distinguished professor of medicine and of microbiology & immunology. “We wear the mask to protect others from any germs we may have by preventing their spread beyond the mask. If everyone does it, we are all being protected.”
In other words, face masks are important because they can help reduce illness that may be transmitted person to person, through the air or on surfaces we may touch.
Mask Etiquette
According to the guide “Returning to Regular Operations at Einstein,” which was issued to prepare Einstein’s workforce for returning to campus, masks must be worn whenever one is in public spaces on campus or in areas where they may be in close contact with others, including at building entrances, in stairwells, and on elevators.
It’s important to be mindful that there are ways that one can wear a mask incorrectly, making it ineffective. So, be sure to make certain that you wear your mask properly whenever you have it on.
Whether it’s the surgical mask provided by security, or a cloth mask that’s store-bought or home-made, to be effective a mask must be worn with both nose and mouth covered. These pointers on how to put on a surgical mask and how to make and wear your own mask can help you be sure that you’re covered when you need to be. And, for those working remotely who may want to make their own mask, this video offers a step-by-step demonstration of how to create a mask from a bandana.
It’s also important to dispose of any surgical mask in a trash receptacle when you’re done using it, or to launder a cloth mask periodically. That’s more to keep the germs away from you!
So, when you get your mask and put it on, remember, your taking cover to combat the spread of COVID-19!
Posted on: Friday, June 05, 2020