The Pencils and Erasers Foundation

As the Coronavirus spreads across countries wreaking havoc and dominating news stations for the second consecutive month, one cannot help but wonder how to protect themselves and their family from this invisible menace.

The Coronavirus or officially COVID 19, originated in Wuhan city of Hubei Province in China. By now, everyone in the world has heard of it. It would be the understatement of the year to say that this virus is dangerous, deadly and serious.

As of April 19, 2020, there is no vaccine or cure for COVID 19. The WHO recommends wearing face maks, not N95 Respirators that are in short supply but cloth ones. We must also refrain from touching high contact surfaces as well as shaking hands. Washing hands thoroughly for 20 seconds (20 seconds of lathering soap on the skin) and not touching our faces are by far the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the virus.

We must also educate our children about this pandemic and teach them how to properly wash their hands and practice appropriate hygiene. We have to take care of those vulnerable in our society, including elders and seniors. They must have access to a telephone to communicate with the outside world so that they are well stocked up on essentials.

To protect ourselves, we need to wash our hands for a minimum of 20 seconds, try to stay inside, cough and sneeze into our elbows, and try out best to stay inside. However, we also need to educate ourselves. The recommendations above are useless if we do not spread the word and inform others. There must be a dedicated information campaign that details this.

Pencils and Erasers will launch an information campaign in the upcoming days. The goal will be to inform and educate people about Coronavirus and how to protect themselves and others.

Constantly disinfecting high contact surfaces and practicing social distancing is the only way we can combat this menace. The spread of this virus is dependent on us and our behavior. Only through these steps will we see the beginning of the end. Until then however, we are in a global pandemic and we must act as such.