Information about this novel coronavirus is still being researched at this time, but currently it is defined as a respiratory illness that can be easily transferred from person to person. As stated by Gloucester County, “Novel (meaning “new”) coronavirus is a virus strain that has only spread in people since December 2019. Health experts are concerned because little is known about this new virus and it has the potential to cause severe illness in some people.” It is certainly not a hoax. Gloucester Country has seen an increase in cases and deaths in the past month. There has been an increase of over 167 positive COVID cases in the county (according to The New York Times as of Nov. 30). Many people who contract COVID-19 experience a wide range of symptoms such as a fever and cough to a complete loss of taste and smell. If you or a loved one are experiencing anything close to these symptoms it is important that you contact your healthcare provider in order to help limit the spread of this disease and save lives. Getting a coronavirus test is relatively simple due to the recent developments in testing. There are many testing locations where you can choose to take either a rapid test (instant results) or a regular test with a waiting period of about a week. There are many locations in Gloucester County that can be found through a simple Google search. Some tests require a healthcare professional to swab your mouth while at other places they swab the inside of your nasal cavity. It depends on what each testing site has available. One student, who was tested at the Urgent Care in Swedesboro, described the test as “weird but not painful.” The test “took about a minute” to do and the results were determined after about twenty minutes. The student also said the testing location was not crowded, and that they were “the only one there at the time.” 

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, people have been told to self-isolate or quarantine. But what does that actually mean? Well, self-isolating can be defined as a period of time apart from others. This entails staying home and maybe being allowed out occasionally to get essentials. Quarantine; however, is a much stricter form of isolation that can last anywhere from a week to months. Both actions are taken in order to prevent the spread of the virus and save lives. These methods have been proven successful in many other countries around the world.  It is important to also maintain social distancing and wear a mask if you do go out during the day no matter what your circumstances are (whether you are isolating or not). 

Contact tracing is the identification of people who came in contact with an infected individual. The CDC has standards and instructions in place for health workers to conduct contact tracing. The school nurse is responsible for contact tracing in schools. Contact tracing entails asking people who tested positive what their symptoms were and if they were within 6 feet of another person for over fifteen minutes (the individual will list everyone they came in contact with). The nurse must call every person the individual came in contact with and tell them were possibly exposed to COVID-19. The nurse will then give information as to how long people will quarantine, whether the person’s whole family has to quarantine, and referrals to clinics for testing and treatment (if needed). School nurses aid in the investigation of the outbreaks (i.e. whether it was spread at parties or through sports).

In order to prevent the need for self-isolating and contact tracing, individuals must wear an approved mask and maintain social distance. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), when wearing a mask in public places both your nose and mouth should be covered by a mask that has two or more layers. However, the CDC says masks are not required for those “younger than two, people who have trouble breathing, or people who cannot remove the mask without assistance.” The CDC also advises against wearing medical masks that are typically worn by healthcare workers (i.e. N95 Masks). In addition, face shields should be worn by themselves and masks like gaiters are still being tested on their effectiveness. The CDC maintains that the spread of the virus will be slowed down and minimized if these guidelines are followed.