Chapter 1 COVID FRONT LINES In 2020 millions of everyday people became heroes A new type of virus known as a novel coronavirus spread from China around the globe It causes the disease COVID-19 which gives people coughs fevers and aches The disease sometimes kills people Since the virus spreads from person to person many people began working from home to avoid contact with others But that wasn’t possible for everyone Their workplaces became the front lines of the battle against the disease 4
The Strain on Workers Raymond Lopez worked in a supermarket in Los Angeles California He had to work in the store despite the risk of catching COVID-19 Lopez and his coworkers wore face masks practiced social distancing and washed their hands frequently This limited their risk of catching the virus and spreading it to others Essential businesses such as grocery stores remained open during the pandemic 5
It was a stressful time for Lopez and his coworkers Customers sometimes ignored the store’s safety guidelines But Lopez remained calm It’s definitely an atmosphere where everybody’s nerves are heightened he said But we don’t have time to sit and panic We have a job to do Grocery workers clean and sanitize often to kill the virus on surfaces Researchers found that the virus can live up to twenty-four hours on certain surfaces 6
STEM Spotlight A virus is a tiny particle that infects living cells and can cause disease The virus that causes COVID-19 is a coronavirus Coronavirus means crown virus Each virus particle is covered by spikes like points on a crown Once the virus enters the human body its spikes fit into notches in cells like keys fitting into locks The virus enters the cells and begins to reproduce It makes thousands of copies of itself This infection makes the person sick 7
