The corona virus is an airborne infection spread mainly through coughing and sneezing. The first course of action in preventing infection should be practicing good cough and sneeze etiquette (turning away from others and coughing or sneezing into the crook of your arm) and washing your hands thoroughly and often. Please read the handout titled „Top ten tips for hygiene“ from www.infektionsschutz.de, attached to this email. In case you are in contact with an infected person, please keep your distance and stand 1-2 meters away.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and running water. Notices have been hung in university bathrooms showing tips to properly wash your hands
- Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose
- Avoid unnecessary hand contact (i.e. avoid shaking hands)
- Practice good cough and sneeze etiquette (cough and sneeze into the crook of your arm and not into your hand)
- Keep your distance from people who are coughing or sneezing
- Air out rooms approximately 4 times a day for 10 minutes each time
Disinfectant
Only few disinfectants are effective against the corona virus. For this reason, using a disinfectant should definitely not replace thoroughly washing your hands. The RKI warns against using disinfectants on hands and other surfaces as this may offer a sense of false security and cause people to neglect the proper hygiene measures discussed above. By practicing these proper hygiene measures, we can help slow or even stop the spread of the virus.
Wearing Protective Masks
The same goes for protective masks. There has been no evidence that infection is avoided when a healthy person wears a mask. The president of the Robert Koch Institute states that there is no reason to believe that wearing a protective mask in everyday life as a preventative measure is helpful. The World Health Organization also discourages the everyday wear of protective masks and warns that they can provide a sense of false security.
It is a completely different story for infected people. An infected person who needs to go in public should wear a protective mask to avoid the spreading of the airborne virus. In general, only so-called „surgical masks“ are effective for a short amount of time. They should be changed out every three to four hours.
Information regarding hygiene tips and frequently asked questions can be found here:
www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
What to do now?
If you have signs of an infection or you think you may have the corona virus, please contact your doctor by phone. If the corona virus is confirmed, you will be quarantined either in a hospital or at home. The health authority will be automatically informed and will be in touch with the university and other contact persons.
What happens next?
Nuertingen-Geislingen University is constantly monitoring its information channels. New developments will be communicated immediately and further precautions will be taken.
