The daily responsibilities of HCP during ordinary times are demanding, both mentally and physically. In the midst of the current and unprecedented public health crisis, it’s natural for even the most resilient healthcare workers to become overextended by the sheer caseload of patients that require immediate attention for potentially life-threatening, communicable respiratory illness. It’s easy to understand how a medical professional may be inclined to hurry through the process of putting on or taking off their PPE in an effort to move on to the next patient. But following proper protocol is especially important right now to prevent the spread of infection for both patients and healthcare personnel. Here are the CDC’s recommendations for safely donning PPE: Perform hand hygiene. Put on your gown – Fully cover your torso from neck to knees and your arms to the end of your wrists. Fasten the gown behind the back of your neck and waist. Put on your respirator – Cup the respirator with the nosepiece at your fingertips and the headbands hanging below your hands. Lift the respirator to your chin with the nosepiece pointing upward. Use your other hand to pull the top strap over, fastening it behind your head and over your ears. Position the bottom strap behind your neck and below your ears, being careful not to criss cross the straps. From there, fit the flexible band to the bridge of your nose, adjust to fit snugly to your face and below your chin, and finally, fit-check your respirator. Put on your face shield or goggles – Position over your face and eyes, and adjust to a secure fit. Put on your gloves – Extend the gloves to cover the wrist portion of your gown.