ASWSU and Greek Life representatives spoke about their responses to COVID-19 at a student leader panel Thursday evening.

The most important aspect in preventing the spread of COVID-19 is speaking up, said ASWSU Vice President Sean Doster. People should encourage standing up and speaking out when a behavior that breaks COVID-19 safety guidelines is witnessed.

“Pullman is only going to be as strong as our weakest link,” Doster said. 

Mental health is critical during this time, and it is essential to take advantage of free resources, he said. Cougar Health Services will host Real Talk Thursdays that cover mental health topics starting Oct. 1.

ASWSU has been tweeting educational information about COVID-19, including where to get tested, said ASWSU Director of Health Patrick Johnson. 

For each person who has COVID-19, between two and six new people will be infected, he said. The infectious dose required to contract COVID-19 is 1,000 particles. There are approximately 200 million particles in one sneeze. 

For this reason, students should practice social distancing, wear masks and keep to small social circles, Johnson said.

Greek chapters have been communicating amongst themselves about students who are not following community guidelines, which helps keep outbreaks isolated, said Panhellenic President Megan Gould. 

WSU now provides free testing. Before the WSU testing centers were in place, the Greek community had been asking the administration for months to have tools to help students, she said. 

“Many students want to be the solution,” Gould said. “It is hard to do so when we do not have the resources.”