AACC students can avoid getting the Coronavirus by getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water and regularly washing their hands with soap and water.

Beth Mays, a nurse who manages AACC’s Health and Wellness Center, said a focus on cleanliness and eating a well-balanced diet can help stave off the deadly virus.

Coronavirus has infected more than 79,000 people worldwide and killed more than 2,600, mostly in China, where it originated.

Mays said the college plans to add more hand sanitizer stations across campus and put up posters urging students to cover their mouths when coughing and to wash their hands.

According to Dr. Felicia Patterson, vice president for learner support services, symptoms include fatigue, fever, chills, coughing and shortness of breath. “Those are things that students would want to watch for,” she said.

Patterson said the college will alert students if the Coronavirus reaches Maryland. As of late February, at least 34 people in the United States were infected, but none in Maryland. No U.S. deaths have been reported.

“We do have a pandemic team [and plan] at the college, which was actually put in place at the time of the H1N1 flu,” Patterson said. “Fortunately, we have not had to go back to that pandemic team or plan on a regular basis. We did so with Ebola and now, with Coronavirus, we’re regrouping as well.”

As part of the plan, Patterson sent an email to students informing them of the virus and listing symptoms.

Patterson said students who have traveled to China recently should see their doctors.

Students said they hope their classmates will heed the advice about how to prevent the spread of the disease.

Jalil Amaya-Acosta, a first-year business administration student, urged students to “clean up [and] wash your hands.”

First-year nursing student Kaylin Turner said she hopes the school adds more posters about the virus around campus.

“I think there should be more [info] … about what it is and how to prevent it,” Turner said.