Latest 6 COVID-19 CDC rules are pretty simple

The CDC's latest update to its "How Coronavirus Spreads" guidance includes a list of 6 rules to follow to best protect yourself and others. The list is just about the most concise and simple-to-follow set of best practices released during this global pandemic thus far. It all centers on the fact that COVID-19 spreads through the air VIA respiratory systems, and that wearing a mask prevents respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people.

The simple list

The list below comes from the How Coronavirus Spreads guidance page maintained by the CDC. The CDC stresses that COVID-19 most commonly spread during close contact, that COVID-19 can be spread by airborne transmission, and that COVID-19 spreads less commonly through contact with contaminated surfaces than it does through respiratory droplets that blast out of the mouth and nose of one person and into the body of another.

• Stay at least 6 feet away from others, whenever possible. This is very important in preventing the spread of COVID-19.• Cover your mouth and nose with a mask when around others. This helps reduce the risk of spread both by close contact and by airborne transmission.• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.• Avoid crowded indoor spaces and ensure indoor spaces are properly ventilated by bringing in outdoor air as much as possible. In general, being outdoors and in spaces with good ventilation reduces the risk of exposure to infectious respiratory droplets.• Stay home and isolate from others when sick.• Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

The video below was released by the CDC VIA a call in early October, 2020. This video remains valuable today, as it goes into greater detail about why wearing a mask WORKS to curb the spread of COVID-19.

This can end

This can end. This is not a hoax, it's not a conspiracy. I know people who've tested positive for COVID-19. People are dying near you because COVID-19 is real and deadly.

If we can agree to work with SIMPLE measures like washing our hands and wearing masks when we're near other people, this can end. It seems like a lifetime ago that this all began. It can seem like a lifetime ago since COVID-19 was curbed and cured – please, please, please wear a mask and stay safe.