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Ball State students prepare for coronavirus as Indiana confirms more cases

MUNCIE, Ind. (NewsLink) - In the past week, the Indiana State Department of Health has confirmed four cases of the coronavirus. The cases are located in Marion County, Hendricks County, Noble County, and Avon school district. Two people from Muncie have also been in quarantine aboard the Princess Cruise ship after 19 crew members and two passengers tested positive for the virus.

Many Muncie residents are feeling they may have to take more precautions against the virus since it's hitting closer to home.

Ball State University recently sent out emails to students giving them some tips on how to take care of themselves if they start to feel symptoms.

A few students talked about how much knowledge they think every student might have on COVID-19 and how they felt about this rapidly spreading virus.

Senior Tyler Letman stated, “I feel like we should be taking it a lot more seriously, ... a lot more seriously than we are taking it right now.”

While a few students felt the virus is a serious case that more people should be preparing for, other students believed this is a situation that shouldn’t be a big deal.

“I know that we are making it a bigger deal than it should be,” said Bailey Govan.

Ball State University sent out two emails explaining how COVID-19 is a situation that they want to prevent on campus. They sent out an email listing steps that one may take when feeling the symptoms.

The pre-cautionary email came from Ro-Anne Royer Engle, the Interim Vice President for Student Affairs. The first tip the university gave students was to stay home for 14 days if you have had known contact with an individual with COVID-19, or if you have traveled to any areas where the virus is prevalent. The university also advised students to monitor their health and to practice social distancing.

A few symptoms of the virus include a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, coughing or even trouble breathing.

The first thing to do when feeling the following symptoms is to seek medical care and call ahead before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room. The second step is to tell your doctor about your recent travel and your symptoms, and lastly avoid contact with others.

Students and residents are encouraged to keep themselves clean, healthy and to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.

For any comments or concerns, contact the author at agonzalezmor@bsu.edu.