Advice on fighting COVID-19 from the Red Cross, a chemist and academics around the world: Today’s coronavirus updates
Travellers wearing protective face masks line up at the Delta Air Lines ticketing desk inside Terminal 2E at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, after the U.S. banned travel from Europe, as France grapples with an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), March 12, 2020. Image: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier - RC2CIF94501P
Coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. In this daily update, we’ve assembled some of the latest headlines, resources and stories to help you arm yourself with the best information.
1. Social distancing will be key: Academics explain why
Reported cases surged past 127,000 on March 12, prompting more cancellations of everything from flights, to sporting events to college classes. While the reaction to these moves has been mixed, many experts point out that such measures have been effective in slowing some of history's worst outbreaks, including the influenza pandemic of 1918. Read more here.
2. Colleagues (and their families) could get sick. Plan now for absences.
Safety during the pandemic will take more than just handwashing, says one Red Cross official. Make sure you have a plan for when your colleagues must care for sick family members, to ensure everyone can take the time that’s needed to fight the virus. For more advice, read more here.
What is the World Economic Forum doing about the coronavirus outbreak?
3. Soap is a coronavirus powerhouse - This chemist explains why
On Twitter this week, a chemist explained why soap is so effective at fighting the virus. In part, he said, the connections between a virus' component parts (proteins, fatty lipids and genetic material) are weak. Soap can help break up particle, dissolving the lipid layer that surrounds the virus, while undoing weak bonds within the virus. Since viruses can stick to crinkles in the skin, vigorous washing for 20 seconds can make sure the soap can do its work. Read more here.
4. During a pandemic, everyone can be a leader
Everyone, no matter what position they hold, can do what’s right. Be an influencer in your organisation by passing on vetted business messages from the WHO, focusing on accuracy and relevance, and encouraging behaviour that helps control the virus. For additional ways you can make change at work, read more here.
What is the World Economic Forum doing about the coronavirus outbreak?
4. How to (politely) decline a handshake
To keep yourself - and others - safe, consider these tips to politely decline a handshake from manners experts.
- Put both hands up, playfully, as if you were in a stickup. Explain you have a phobia.
- Hold your hand over your heart, in an alternative greeting, as if you’re making a pledge.
- Explain you a have strict no-handshake policy while the virus spreads.
- Point to a sign declaring your workspace a “handshake-free zone.”
For more tips, read more here.
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