Author: TheConversation

By Alex Horenstein, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Miami; and Konrad Grabiszewski, Associate Professor of Economics, Prince Mohammad Bin Salman College (MBSC) of Business & Entrepreneurship Coronavirus fears triggered a recent surge in sales of protective masks, as well as disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. Now there is a shortage and concern that even health care providers who must wear face masks won’t be able to get the gear they need. Setting aside the fact that public health experts say healthy people get no benefit from wearing masks, there’s another major issue to consider: Wearing a face mask...

By Stephen D. Benning, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Brian Labus, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Kimberly A. Barchard, Professor of Quantitative Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Public health officials consistently promote hand-washing as a way for people to protect themselves from the COVID-19 coronavirus. However, this virus can live on metal and plastic for days, so simply adjusting your eyeglasses with unwashed hands may be enough to infect yourself. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have been telling people to...

By Christine Van Winkle, Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, University of Manitoba Around the world, festivals, sporting events, conferences and community celebrations are being cancelled or postponed due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Event organizers have had to make difficult decisions about how to proceed, and would-be attendees question whether they should plan to go. In many communities, mass gatherings are banned as social distancing becomes the norm. Technology may allow some organizations to offer event experiences online, and some organizers already have plans underway. This pandemic has already led to high-profile event cancellations. With new...

By Michael Cousineau, Professor of Clinical Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California As the number of cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, continues to grow, the nation is on edge. Doctors and scientists do not know what percentage of the general population has been infected and what percentage of the infected develops symptoms. State and local governments and the federal public health system are deploying strategies to contain the spread of the virus and consider ways to mitigate the effects of the disease on vulnerable groups, the health care system and the economy. But amid all...