Hello, LatinXplorers!
Novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, is an infectious disease, or illnesses caused by bacterias, fungi, and viruses. It continues to be a public health concern for not only El Paso, Texas, but for the entire world. We at Southwest LatinX want our community to stay informed and educated on how to stay healthy.
We are continuing to monitor the situation in order to reschedule and redesign our events and community efforts. In the meantime, we'd like to share information from trusted sources to assure the well-being of our community.
It is very important to wash your hands frequently. Wash them thoroughly for 20 seconds every time. A fun way to remember how long to do so is to hum the "Happy Birthday" song twice. If you don't have access to water, try using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Be sure to wash your hands after being in public and after sneezing or coughing.
Avoid touching your face, mostly your eyes, nose, and mouth. This is incredibly important not to do with unwashed hands. Touching areas of your face with unwashed hands is one of the easiest way to allow COVID-19 in your system.
Avoid coughing and sneezing without covering your mouth, but remember not to do so with your hands. Instead, sneeze into the inside of your elbow or, if possible, use a tissue. Doing so avoids spreading disease and illnesses to others.
Dispose of used tissues immediately after use. It is incredibly important to do so because COVID-19 can be spread through respiratory droplets when a sick person coughs or sneezes.
Whenever possible, avoid being in crowded places where you can come in contact with sick people. Many people are practicing social distancing, meaning they do not come in contact with others and only attend public places when necessary. This also means many restaurants and stores are only allowing to-go purchases.
The CDC recommends keeping a 6 feet distance between yourself and others. Think of it as keeping a mountain bike between yourself and others.
If you feel sick and/or are coughing and sneezing, stay home! This is the easiest way of both stopping the spread of COVID-19 and making others sick.
If you do feel sick, try hard not to share any house items with others such as cups, plates, forks, and knifes.
Try and stay in your room as much as possible, only using the restroom when needed.
Monitor your body temperature for a fever, considered anything over 100.4 F. If you do have a fever, call your doctor immediately. It is important to seek professional medical care if you do show signs of illness, but it is also important to call your doctor first. Doctor's offices, clinics, and hospitals can be be incredibly busy. Make sure you can be attended before you go.
Keep yourself informed and educated through trusted sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and your local health department. It is important to know where you are getting your information from to avoid myths and unsafe practices.
Many health experts and professionals recommend to also disinfect areas and surfaces used frequently everyday. This includes doorknobs, fridge doors and handles, and the entire bathroom. Overall, practice social distancing as much as possible and stay home if you feel the slightest bit ill!
Southwest LatinX hopes everyone is staying safe and healthy. We will keep our community informed on our events and efforts as soon as we can confirm.
Stay well, LatinXplorers!
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