 What really works to keep the coronavirus away? Epidemiologists and biostatistician Brian Lapis answers four questions to help you keep safe. One, what can I do to prevent becoming infected? The virus spreads through particles ejected from sneezing or coughing. They can only travel about six feet and land on surfaces that we touch all the time like railings, door knobs, or elevator buttons. You can get infected when the particles come in contact with our eyes, nose, or mouth. This can also happen when you touch a surface and then touch your face, which people do around 23 times an hour. Washing your hands properly is the best thing you can do. Hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol concentration can also work if your hands aren't visibly soiled. Also, people can practice social distancing by avoiding crowds and non-essential travel or working from home if possible. Two, wouldn't it be easier just to clean surfaces? Not really. We don't fully know how the virus and the different surfaces interact. Recent studies have shown that this coronavirus can live on surfaces for up to two or three days. Frequent cleaning can remove the virus if it has been contaminated by a sick person. Some products like those in the description can work against the general family of coronaviruses if used correctly. Three, what about wearing masks? Masks from stores and pharmacies don't really help. They can keep the tiny virus out. N95 masks can keep 95% of the virus containing particles out. But they require special testing and technique to ensure a seal around the face and to remove it without contaminating yourself. Four, should a stockpile food and supplies? Generally you should have a three-day supply of food and water for emergencies, but this doesn't help during the outbreak. There's no reason to expect damage to our infrastructure like we would see after an earthquake or hurricane. A Wuhan China type quarantine is extremely unlikely as quarantine won't stop the spread of a disease that has been found all over the world. But do prepare for small disruptions like daycare closings or a plan in case a family member gets sick.