March 16, 2020

Bloomberg Businessweek

(USPS 080 900) March 16, 2020 (ISSN 0007-7135) H Issue no. 4649 Published weekly, except one week in January, February, March

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64

○An unfamiliar, invisible threat

like the novel coronavirus can

make people feel helpless and

turn inward just when they most

need to reach outward, both

helping and leaning on others.

Here are concrete ways you can

help your family, co-workers,

and neighbors.

○ Be a role model

Good personal health habits help

prevent respiratory infections:

Cover coughs and sneezes with

a tissue or an elbow sleeve; wash

hands often with soap and water

for at least 20  seconds; clean

and disinfect frequently touched

objects and surfaces; and avoid

touching one’s eyes, nose, and

mouth. But don’t just  do it—be

conspicuous about it. Talk about

it. Make it a community norm.

○ Promote a workplace

culture that supports

people staying

home when sick 

People should stay home when

they have a respiratory illness.

But many still feel pressured to

work. They need hourly wages,

are essential personnel, or face

looming production goals. If

you’re a manager or business

owner, implement realistic sick

leave policies, be flexible with

workplace arrangements—such

as allowing people to work from

home—and act on public-health

recommendations. For everyone

else, don’t make your co-workers

feel guilty about not coming in.

○ Steward

resources wisely 

Novel disease outbreaks can

make extra demands on every-

day goods and services, such as

surgical masks and hand sanitizer.

Because community well-being

comes from collaboration and

not competition, weigh your own

needs alongside those of others.

Refrain from hoarding items that

are in short supply.

○ Look out for the

most vulnerable 

Be sensible about not expos-

ing frail seniors or people with

other health conditions to respi-

ratory illness. Neighbors and

family should pitch in with gro-

ceries, supplies, and moral sup-

port when such people must

avoid public spaces. Share phone

numbers, email, and messaging

contacts so it’s easier to reach

out. People who live in racially

and ethnically diverse communi-

ties should double their efforts at

sharing information and offering

mutual aid. If the 2009 H1N1 influ-

enza outbreak is a guide, minority

groups may face higher rates of

complications, hospitalizations,

and deaths.

○Help with child

care and meals

Efforts to stem the spread

of Covid-19 have sometimes

included school closures.

This can place huge burdens

on working families and keep

needy students from regular

nutritious meals. In addition,

employees at health-care facil-

ities may experience increased

work demands, inhibiting them

from tending to and feeding

their families. Step in where you

can to provide alternative child-

care and meal options for neigh-

bors and family.

○ Remember

that viruses don’t

discriminate 

When an outbreak emerges,

some people blame perceived

outsiders or avoid people from

groups they assume are conta-

gious. Such behaviors turn a mys-

terious illness into something that

feels more controllable. But these

anti-social ways of coping may

build on preexisting prejudices

and blame victims of infection

or their care providers unfairly.

They undermine the social bonds

we’ll need to get through this and

can keep us from the things that

we know help. Again: Wash your

hands. Cover your cough. And

wash your hands. —Monica

Schoch-Spana

Schoch-Spana,

a medical

anthropologist,

is a senior

scholar with

the Center

for Health

Security at the

Johns Hopkins

Bloomberg

School of

Public Health.

(The school

is supported

by Michael

Bloomberg,

founder and

majority owner

of Bloomberg

LP, parent

company of

Bloomberg

Businessweek.)

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ou help