Parents are worried. And this time it is not because of an ‘episode’ at school. They are worried because a very contagious virus has appeared and it causes severe illness.
Physical education teacher Eloi has already fallen ill from this virus. Some children are spreading a rumour saying that the teacher was not doing online classes because he had signed up for a marathon in another country and was travelling. But that was not the case at all. Actually, he was recovering after a few days in hospital because he couldn’t breathe properly. We are talking about Eloi! This teacher is a breathing expert. Normally, he shows us how to breathe properly when we run around the schoolyard during PE time. I cannot believe this happened!
Viruses are tiny living beings that cause illness. Coronavirus is a type of very contagious virus that can easily pass from one person to another and it has reached all countries all over the world.
The virus spreads through sneezing or saliva drops when we cough. It can also spread if we touch contaminated material and then touch our nose, mouth, or eyes.
Eloi explained it to us on the first day of school: when we sneeze, we should cover our mouth with our forearms and make sure that no saliva drops come in contact with anyone else. This is because we can spread the virus to the rest of the class if we do not take care.
What happens if we are infected?
The virus can cause cough, fever, breathing problems and other symptoms. Each individual displays different symptoms depending on their health condition and unique situation.
Consequently, the virus does not affect everyone in the same way. Some people experience more serious symptoms than others do.
How can we avoid being infected by coronavirus?
– Wash our hands very frequently with water and soap for 20 seconds each time.
– Always wear a mask.
– Maintain safe distance with others.
– Cover our mouth when we cough and our nose when we sneeze.
– Avoid touching our nose, mouth, and eyes.
– Avoid contact with sick and elderly people, who are more vulnerable.
These measures are very important to reducing contagion and consequently the number of sick people. Health personnel will thereby be better equipped to help those infected with the virus.
Why should we wear a mask?
The mask is a protective measure, along with washing hands frequently and distance maintained between people in order to avoid contagion.
These are the mask’s main functions:
– Protect other people from contamination from our saliva.
– Protect our nose and mouth from contamination by others’ saliva; only some masks have this capability.
Eloi would not want any of us to catch the virus, as he did. He says that even if wearing a mask is a drag, we need to wear one so we can keep going to school even when coronavirus is present.
How should we put on our masks?
Putting them on properly is important:
1. We must wash our hands thoroughly first.
2. Masks should cover our mouth, nose and chin.
3. We should not touch our masks while wearing them.
4. We should discard masks when they get wet.
5. We should take off masks from the back first.
6. We should discard masks in a sealed bag and then wash our hands immediately.
And no, you should not wear your mask on your wrist or put it on your head like a crown or play with it at all. We should keep our masks in a little cloth or paper bag after taking them off so we can put them back on when necessary.
When will coronavirus go away?
There are currently a number of laboratories that have developed vaccines against COVID-19, and the elderly and healthcare personnel are already being vaccinated.
Yet we need to continue taking the right measures to avoid contagion, as we will not be fully protected until a significant number of people have been vaccinated.
We should stay home if we’re not feeling well. We should wash our hands often and we must follow the indications given to us from the school or the health authorities.
Children do not usually fall ill. But your help is very important to avoid infecting those around you.
You will do your best, won’t you? 😉