610-WTVN: The Risks of Re-Opening

Even as Ohio slowly starts moving toward a back-to-business model, the impact of re-opening still poses great risks to medical professionals, as well as the general public. 

Joseph Gastaldo, MD, OhioHealth system medical director, infectious diseases, spoke with 610 WTVN's Joel Riley about the risks of re-opening and the continued importance of masks and social distancing. 

"COVID-19 is still here. It's not going anywhere," said Dr. Gastaldo. "As we start to open up businesses, it's my fear that some people will subconsciously think that COVID-19 is going away. They may not be wearing their mask or following social distancing guidelines."

As more instances of people wearing masks without covering their noses come up, Dr. Gastaldo urges everyone to wear their face masks properly. 

"When you wear a mask it should cover your nostrils and your face, and you want to block access to your respiratory tract by not touching your eyes, nose and mouth," said Dr. Gastaldo. "Wearing a mask the wrong way could potentially make things more dangerous, especially if you're touching it a lot. Every time you touch and manipulate the mask, you could contaminate it."

To hear more about Dr. Gastaldo's latest COVID-19 updates, click on the logo below.