Bystander Intervention
Covid-19 edition
Episode 1
Are you feeling pandemic fatigue? If so, you’re not alone.
But the pandemic is still a threat, and while we’re waiting for the vaccines to be rolled out to everyone, it’s important for us to work together to stop the spread and continue to keep each other safe.
That means carefully following the behavioral guidelines, and in some cases, reminding each other to do so.
It can be hard to know what to do if someone is not following public health guidelines, but there are simple things you can say.
Let’s take a look at an example.
Bystander Intervention: Daily Check
[Image of two female students walking and having a conversation on their way to pick up food from a dining hall.]
Person A : “I’m just going to get some tea with honey to help my sore throat…. ( coughs). [A thought bubble appears Person B’s head which says “Wait, isn’t that a COVID symptom?”] Don’t worry, it’s probably just allergies.”
Person B: [steps further away from Person A] “Aren’t you supposed to stay home if you have a sore throat and a cough? It could be COVID.”
Person A: “Don’t worry, It’s not a big deal. I lied on the Daily Check. [A thought bubble appears Person B’s head which says “What?! Seriously? Aren’t you pre-med?”] I really need to show up to my in-person lab – I don’t want to fall behind.”
Person B: “Uh, okay. I get that you’re worried about your grades. And I hope it’s just your allergies, but you shouldn’t just assume that. If there’s a chance you have COVID, you don’t want to spread it to others. I think you should go home and call Cornell Health.”
If you start to develop any COVID related symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, sore throat, loss of taste or smell
You need to be honest:
Answer honestly on the Daily Check.
Call Cornell Health and tell them your symptoms.
DO NOT go to class and DO NOT go to your surveillance test until you have connected with Cornell Health and received medical guidance.

Everyone has a role to play to protect our community [this statement appears in the middle of the screen, with circles appearing around it containing the following words]:
Wash hands
Wear a mask
Maintain physical distance
Mask up
Back up
Wash up
Daily Check up
Seriously, pull your mask up

Brought to you by the Skorton Center for Health Initiatives @ Cornell Health.
[Image of Cornell University seal appears in lower left corner.]