During the month of February, the word “coronavirus” (Covid-19) entered the common lexicon. 

This month alone, a major outbreak of Covid-19 in Italy occurred, and more people worldwide contracted the virus.

The number of deaths in the United States has risen to 14, including 13 fatalities in Washington state. The governor of California Gavin Newsome declared a State of Emergency.

The new coronavirus, however, is particularly dangerous for the elderly and people who have other illnesses and weakened immune systems

Some students are worried that the virus will spread to their community.

“If the virus spreads here then school should definitely be closed for at least a week,” said a sophomore who asked to remain anonymous.

As of Thursday, 22 people have now been tested for Covid-19 in New Hampshire. So far 16 of the 20 people came out negative while the remaining four are still pending. 

At PA, school nurse Ms. Daigle urged people to temper their reactions to Covid-19.

“People should not panic over this virus,” she said. “There’s plenty of factual information available to anyone on the CDC websites.” 

To prevent yourself from contracting any illness, Ms. Daigle suggests staying updated on new information, washing your hands, wiping down surfaces used daily with sanitizers, staying home when you are ill with cough and/or fever, and avoiding leaving the country as much as possible. 

Ms. Daigle has been tracking the progress of the disease in the United States, as well as taking regular webinars (online seminars) focused on Covid-19. She said she doesn’t find a need to be overly concerned about the matter in New Hampshire. 

Family and Consumer Science teacher Ms. Grise agrees.

“I think that the media has hyped things up, as usual,” she said. “I think that it’s good that people have become more aware that they should be washing their hands, not sharing drinks. It’s just unfortunate that people don’t realize to do that everyday day throughout any season, not just during an outbreak.”