In the event of nuclear war, the Biden government wants Americans to understand they should social distance and keep wearing face masks when protecting themselves from nuclear fallout.
The Ready Campaign, a federal program meant to prepare people for emergencies, advises American citizens to keep a six feet distance between each other and to use face masks when indoors to avoid nuclear fallout.
Nuclear fallout is the aftermath of a nuclear explosion, when the very toxic radioactive particles sent into the atmosphere come back down to earth.
The Ready Campaign says you should seek shelter in the nearest concrete or brick shelter after a nuclear explosion. After removing your contaminated clothes and washing areas of unprotected skin, you should then protect yourself from coronavirus.
“Go to your basement or the middle of the building. Stay away from the walls. Try to keep a distance of around six feet between people who are not in your household. If possible, use a mask if you are sheltering with other people not in your household. Children younger than two years old, people who have issues breathing, and those who are not able to remove their masks on their own should not use them,” the recommendations report.
“Stay inside for up to 24 hours unless given other instructions. Continue to keep social distancing by wearing a mask and being at least six feet away from people not in your household,” they say.
And if authorities mandate an evacuation to an emergency shelter, the government would like you to bring resources to stop COVID-19 from spreading.
“If you are informed by authorities to leave a public shelter, try to bring items that can aid in protecting yourself from COVID-19, like hand sanitizer that has at least 60 percent alcohol, cleaning items, and two masks for each person,” they say.
The website also indicates that it was last changed on Feb. 25, but was also updated in Nov 2020 to include details related to COVID-19.
The threat of nuclear war has gone to its highest point in many decades over the weekend after Russian President Putin put his nuclear forces on high alert.