MCC Daily Tribune

COVID-19: Reminder to Protect Yourself and Others

While talk of reopening New York and allowing certain businesses and industries to open for business is encouraging, we should not forget that COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease and that we need to continue to protect ourselves and others from the spread of this virus. Social distancing and the need to wear face masks are still in effect, even as we all look forward to our next haircut or trip to the drive in movie theater.

Here is a reminder of what you need to do to protect yourself, your family members, and your colleagues from COVID-19. Monitor your symptoms and how you feel. Cough and fever are the most common symptoms of the virus, but they can be accompanied by chills, headaches, muscle pains and other symptoms. If you experience trouble breathing, pain or pressure in your chest that doesn't go away, confusion or trouble waking up, and or bluish lips or face, you should seek immediate medical attention.

To prevent the spread of the disease, you should wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, particularly before you eat. You should avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands or when out in public. Avoid close contact with people and do not shake hands. Wear a face mask or a cloth covering that covers your nose and mouth when in public and/or when you are unable to maintain a distance of six feet or more from others around you. Cover your cough and sneezes with a tissue and discard the tissue in an enclosed container whenever possible; sneeze or cough into your elbow and not your hand to avoid contaminating door handles and other surfaces. Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects on regular basis.

If you are feeling sick, you should stay home. If you experience a fever, you should stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine. Keep sick household members away from others to avoid transmission of the virus. Avoid sharing personal items. If you are experiencing symptoms or are at high risk for complications due to an underlying medical condition or a weakened immune system, you should contact your healthcare provider to learn more about how to protect yourself.

Remember, during this time of remote meetings on Zoom, you can also use telemedicine to receive medical advice related to COVID-19 or other medical issues that you may be experiencing. Please visit the Excellus website to learn more about telemedicine.

Please take all necessary steps to protect yourself and others. We want everyone to be healthy, safe, and well when the College is able to resume face to face operations.

Melissa Fingar
Human Resources
05/18/2020