A customer wears a mask while shopping at a Fine Wine and Good Spirits store in Cumberland County on May 22, 2020, the first day the store reopened to shoppers after having been closed due to the coroanvirus.
Kate Landis / PA Post
Informing the public when COVID-19 guidelines keep changing
“It’s really challenging from a communications standpoint, particularly if people aren’t expecting to keep hearing different things."
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Sarah Boden/WESA
Kate Landis / PA Post
A customer wears a mask while shopping at a Fine Wine and Good Spirits store in Cumberland County on May 22, 2020, the first day the store reopened to shoppers after having been closed due to the coroanvirus.
With our coronavirus coverage, our goal is to equip you with the information you need. Rather than chase every update, we’ll try to keep things in context and focus on helping you make decisions. See all of our stories here.
What you should know
» Coronavirus facts & FAQ
» Day-by-day look at coronavirus disease cases in Pa.
» Red, yellow, green: What to expect in each of Pa.’s tiers for reopening
(Pittsburgh) — Remember when doctors and public health officials were telling people they didn’t need to wear masks? On February 29, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Powell tweeted, “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus.”
Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!
They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!
https://t.co/UxZRwxxKL9— U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) February 29, 2020
But early last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course and recommended people wear a cloth facing covering while in public. In fact, since April 19, you can’t go the grocery in Pennsylvania without a mask.
Initially, it was thought that children who become infected by the coronavirus don’t get as ill as adults, but there have been increased reports of kids developeing a rare and very serious inflammatory syndrome after contracting the virus.
Because COVID-19 is a very new disease, it’s normal for advice and guidelines to change, said Elizabeth Felter, a health communication researcher at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health.
“It’s really challenging from a communications standpoint, particularly if people aren’t expecting to keep hearing different things,” she said.
Felter said it is incumbent on public health officials to communicate information that’s based on the most recent science. This includes modeling current recommendations, like wearing masks in public and not shaking hands.
But keeping everyone up to date is complicated by the fact that clear, consistent and frequent messaging is necessary for the public to follow best practices.
Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo
Traffic is backed up as people wait to get into Ohiopyle State Park in Ohiopyle, Pa. on Sunday, May 24, 2020.
“It’s exhausting for people trying to keep up with the latest information, it’s exhausting for all the people trying to communicate the latest information,” said Felter. “Trying to be all in it together is going to be our best way through.”
That’s why Felter is a fan of the saying “My mask protests you. Your mask protects me.” But one aspect of public health communication she believes should change is the use of the term “social distancing,” in reference to recommendation that people stay six feet apart from one another.
Felter instead prefers “physical distancing;” because the pandemic has caused many emotional, financial and professional challenges, she said its important for people to be physically distant but socially connected.
“I think on of our worst missteps was when we in the beginning was calling this whole thing ‘social distancing.’ Really, the very last thing we want is to be socially distant,” she said.
The World Health Organization modified its language months ago, but the term has stuck. Felter acknowledged that it’s difficult to change this kind of public health messaging once its use has become so widespread.
“But I think we need to try,” she added.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
