Hamilton Hamilton PPost ost APRIL 2020
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cOPiNg WiTh cOvid-19 The dog days of spring
ROB ANTHES FROM THE EDITOR
I used to watch my dog, and wonder why he acted the way that he did. After two weeks of social distancing, I’m starting to understand. I find myself acting a lot like my dog these days. I spend inordinate amounts of time staring out my front window, watching the people walk by. I go outside a few times a day to stretch my legs and sniff around. Meals and walks are the highlight of my day. And I’m excited to see people, but start to snarl when they get too close. Stay six feet away from me or else you don’t know what I might do. I’m kidding (kinda). Mostly, I’ve been spending my “dog days of spring” putting together this issue of the Hamilton Post and content for our website, communitynews. org. A lot has changed, but one thing hasn’t: the staff at the Hamilton Post is still committed to providing accurate, timely news to our community. Like it has all of you, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged us. Information is changing faster and coming more frequently than ever before. Our See LETTER, Page 6
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? These symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to COVID-19: If emergency warning signs develop, get medical attention immediately
Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath
· Difficulty breathing · Persistent pain or pressure in the chest · New confusion or inability to arouse · Bluish lips or face
HOW DOES IT SPREAD? The COVID-19 virus is mainly spread person-to-person by being in close contact with someone (within 6 ft.) or through respiratory droplets from an infected person sneezing or coughing. Another way COVID-19 can spread is by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching the mouth, nose or eyes. HOW CAN I REDUCE MY RISK?
Wash hands ofte n
Stay home
Limit personal contact (6 ft.)
Stay away from sick people
Clean & disinfect frequently touched surfaces
Don’t touch eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
Practice social distancing
Family starts fund for Emergency medical corps seeks volunteers those who lost jobs By Rob Anthes
On a day when a record number of claims crashed New Jersey’s unemployment system, the Tramo family sat around its kitchen table discussing how the COVID-19 pandemic would affect many of the people they knew. Children Mia, Raffaele and Gemma and parents Benny and Krissy talked March 17 about how businesses had to close and the people who worked there—waitstaff and cooks and
hairdressers and barbers— would lose their jobs and their paychecks. The kids decided to do something about it. So, Mia—a seventh grader at Grice Middle School—wrote the business plan, Raffaele used his technical expertise to build a GoFundMe page and Gemma harnessed all her star power to record an appeal to help regular Hamiltonians who have been collateral damage in this health crisis. Raffaele, 11, and Gemma, 8, both attend See FUND, Page 9
By Michele AlPerin
Mercer County needs you. Faced with a growing number of COVID-19 cases, the county has put out a call for volunteers to join the Mercer County Medical Reserve Corps, a group that has been created to assist during times of crisis. In the wake of September 11, the U.S. Office of the Surgeon General, established the MRC as a demonstration project, whose role is to iden-
tify, train and track volunteers who can strengthen local public health and serve if another human-made or natural disaster occurred. MRC volunteer and East Windsor resident Al Grupper explains the government’s motivation: “When the World Trade Center fell, they had volunteers show up, but there was no management or structure. MRC has a chain of command and a mission.” “We don’t self-mobilize; See CORPS, Page 10
Ask The Doctor
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