It is completely understandable as a young person to be worried about the current situation. Nevertheless, there are things we can still do to maximise the chances of keeping ourselves and our families safe.
What is Coronavirus and what are the symptoms
- It is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.
- The virus can spread via droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes
Visit WHO for more information – (May 2020)
The disease affects different people in many different ways. Below are the main symptoms
- high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms.
Do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital if you think you might have coronavirus. Stay at home. More information available at NHS
What is Social Distancing?
You may have heard people talking about social distancing. This means the following:
Stay alert
We can all help control the virus if we all stay alert. This means you must:
- stay at home as much as possible
- work from home if you can
- limit contact with other people
- keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
- wash your hands regularly
Do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.
This guidance is always changing, please check Coronavirus outbreak FAQs or up to date guidance.
For more information on social distancing see Government guidance on staying safe for young people
There have been many #BlackLivesMatter protests being held in the UK following the George Floyd incident in USA. WM Police Video have developed a video to encourage peaceful protesting
When Can We Go Out?
- Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)
- Stay 2 metres (6ft) away from others at all times if you have to go out
- Wash your hands as soon as you get home
- Do not meet others, even friends or family
Remember: You can spread the virus even if you don’t have symptoms.
Bored at Home?
Not being able to meet with your friends does not mean you should be bored. There are plenty of fun things to do which do not involve you leaving the house. This can range from playing your favourite game series and catching up on your favourite Youtube Channel. Here are some places to look for interesting things
Just Youth activities page
#FakePeopleFakeNews
The pandemic presents opportunities for people to raise awareness of various issues during the pandemic. This can vary from warning people, educating people and scaring them. It is important to be vigilant when online. Before jumping on that new trending hashtag, make sure you know the source and it is trustworthy. A lot of false and potentially damaging information is being spread by scammers which have led to people getting injured, being on the wrong side of the law and even death.
