School in my region (SouthTyrol, Italy) reopened on September the 7th. I teach science in a high school and this year I have 7 classes. This summer I was a bit worried because since March I had almost no contacts with people outside my family.

To be honest, even inside my family. I haven’t hugged or kissed my father and my grandparents since March and when I visit my relatives we all wear our masks.

With the beginning of school, I was positively impressed by the level of organization to keep students and teachers safe. Everyone is doing its own best to stay safe and keep the others safe.

But one student tested positive, and then another one and another one. As soon as one student tested positive, the whole class is quarantined and all students are tested. Teachers who lectured the class in the days before the quarantine are also tested.

And so, last Monday I went to the hospital camp organized for the swab tests. I had my appointment at 3 p.m.. The nurse swabbed my throat and my nose. The she gave me a code to check my result online.

At 3.05 p.m. I was walking home.

My swab was sent to the lab and analyzed via RT-PCR. If you want to know how swab tests work, have a read here!

On Wednesday I had my result: negative!

On Saturday I did a second test to confirm the result, and, again, it was negative.

I was quite sure about it because I never put myself in a dangerous position. I had no human contacts with the exception of my partner and my daughter. I always wash my hands and clean them with the hydro-alcoholic solution. I put my mask when I am home and took it off when I am home again.

I am an introvert, so I don’t mind to keep distance, avoid human contact and social occasions, but still, it is not always easy to behave in this “unnatural” way.

But it is the only thing that we can do.

Until we have a vaccine, we only have three weapons to fight COVID-19:

• wash your hands
• keep the distance
• wear a mask

Cases are rising again in all Europe, the second wave is already here and it is scary.

Be considerate and #staysafe.