In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak and the spring semester seemingly in disarray, it can be hard to focus on anything aside from impending doom, and maybe your midterm next Tuesday.

Nathalie Austin | Student Life

Still, Washington University’s Habif Health and Wellness Center has been working to fight the spread of the coronavirus and flatten the curve.

“Our clinic remains open for students on campus and those who live in St. Louis,” Executive Director Dr. Cheri LeBlanc wrote in a statement to Student Life. “We have currently suspended routine appointments and are screening everyone over the phone before they come in so we are able to protect those with urgent conditions not related to COVID-19 from exposure.”

Student Life spoke with Jordan Worthington, the Assistant Director of Mental Health Outreach and Programming within the Health Promotion Department, about how students can stay healthy and safe while quarantined at home.

Student Life: How can students help flatten the curve?

Jordan Worthington: Students can help to flatten the curve by following guidelines laid out by both public health officials and state and local orders. If you hear differing advice from politicians and public health experts, please listen to the public health experts. At this point, it goes without saying, but wash your hands. In this day in age, our phone is like our third hand and can harbor all sorts of nasty stuff. To keep yourself safe, disinfect your phone regularly too. If anything, this virus has taught us how much we touch our faces. Notice when you have an itch and let it pass or get creative about scratching it.

You can help flatten the curve by regularly connecting with friends virtually and encouraging their healthy habits even when it’s tough. Not everyone is going to take guidelines seriously, so be honest and caring when you need to encourage others to take the guidelines more seriously if they’re able to.

SL: What should someone do if they need to leave the home but want to stay safe?

JW: If you’re leaving the home, I’d first ask yourself, ‘Is this absolutely essential?’ I do this for myself, too. If you just need to pick up a couple of items from the grocery store, ask if it can wait until you need to make a bigger trip. When it’s essential, try and limit your trips out of the house to once a week or less if possible. Be mindful of what you’re touching outside the house, try to touch as little as possible, and try your best to keep six feet of distance between yourself and others. Use accessible entrances whenever possible and use hand sanitizer until you can get to a place where you can wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

SL: What items should students be cleaning?

JW: Any surface that’s high touch, clean it regularly with an alcohol-based cleaner or DIY spray made with bleach and water. Try for once a day at least, more if possible. Door knobs, handles, locks, tables, countertops, et cetera should be getting regular attention. Wash your hands regularly and clean your phone just as regularly.

SL: How can students stay active and remain healthy and safe?

JW: To stay active, in many areas, it’s still okay to walk or run outside if you can maintain six feet of distance from others at all times. You can go alone or with someone that’s in the same space as you. For some places, if you’re in New York City or by popular hiking trails, for example, public spaces have become too crowded to be reliably safe for you to be outside. I encourage people to take advantage of one of the millions of live-streamed workouts or YouTube videos to find a little movement inside.

For me, this has been especially helpful, as I’ve noticed how it can be harder to get to sleep if I haven’t moved much during the day. Wash. U. Rec has been live-streaming workouts from YouTube and Instagram live, and I’ve been really enjoying those.