The novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 can infect someone when a respiratory droplet or aerosol released from the mouth or nose of an infected individual finds its way into their mouth or nose. The transmission of COVID-19 can happen directly or indirectly. Here in this post, we will shed light on the six best ways you can keep your family safe from the novel Coronavirus or COVID-19. Read on.
1: Quarantine Your Family
There’s no cure or vaccine for COVID-19 yet.
According to the CDC, the best way to prevent illness is to avoid exposure.
Yes, social distancing can be of great help but the best way to protect your family is to avoid potentially infected people and contaminated environments completely.
It essentially means that:
- Your family shouldn’t invite friends and extended family for dinners, barbecues, birthday parties, etc.; conversely, your family should refrain from visiting other peoples’ houses
- Keep children at home when you must go out to buy essential supplies; getting children to practice respiratory and hand hygiene in public places isn’t exactly easy.
2: When You Return Home from Work
We do not know when the world will move past the ongoing pandemic. In many countries around the world, people are returning to work.
After all, we cannot stay indoors forever.
This is why, experts say, we need to learn how to live with COVID-19 around us.
When you (or your spouse) eventually return to work, be sure to follow social distancing, hand-hygiene, and respiratory hygiene to protect your family and stop the spread of COVID-19.
Leave your shoes outside, by the door, or in a garage.
Keep your coat and bag away from your or your family members’ belongings.
Change your work clothes immediately after you get home and take a hot shower. Be sure to place all your dirty clothes in a separate bag so that you can be handled and washed separately.
At any point in time, if you experience the potential symptoms of COVID-19, you can use a COVID-19 rapid detection kit available on various online stores like DrugTestsInBulk.com to know if you are infected. Isolate yourself immediately and contact local public health authorities.
3: Cover Mouth & Nose When You Step Out of Home
Health experts around the world, the WHO, the CDC, and others have been asking people to cover their mouth and nose for a reason.
It is the best way to prevent contact and droplet transmission of COVID-19.
Ask all your family members to use face coverings, homemade masks, or medical masks to cover their mouth and nose when in public.
The face mask or a face covering should cover both mouth and nose completely. It shouldn’t rest over the lips or on the tip of the nose. Be sure to know how to properly wear and take off a face mask. Most people don’t.
Watch the video to know more:
Most medical masks can be used once.
Face coverings and homemade masks made from fabric can be washed with detergent and used again. Do not wait for a face covering or fabric mask to get dirty. Wash it after every shift or each time you step out of home and come back.
4: Practice Hand Hygiene When You Step Out of Home
When you are outside home in public, chances are that you’ve touched a contaminated surface such as a bus seat, doorknob, elevator button, park railing, table, gas pump, electronic cashier screen, shopping cart, etc.
Soap and water can effectively neutralize the novel Coronavirus if it accidentally lands on your hands.
This is why hand-washing is recommended as the best way to prevent contact transmission of COVID-19.
Be sure that everyone, including family members, entering your home washes their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Ask children to sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song twice for a good measure.
5: Advise Your Family Members Not to Touch Their Faces
A study in 2015 revealed that people touch their faces about 23 times on average in one hour! Now, what if you are in a grocery store, touch a contaminated cart, and then touch your mouth or nose? What if you’ve to visit a friend, a colleague, or a loved one in hospital during the outbreak?
This is why it is advisable to carry an alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) when you step out of your home.
Check out the video below to understand how to use ABHR to protect your family from the novel Coronavirus.
Ask family members to use an ABHR having a concentration of at least 60% ethanol or 75% isopropyl alcohol.
7: Disinfect High-touch Surfaces
Researchers around the world are studying how long COVID-19 can remain active on different surfaces.
The first research report was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The second such report was published in The Lancet.
Studies indicate that the novel Coronavirus can remain active on surfaces such as plastic (3-7 days), stainless steel (3-7 days), paper (up to 4 days), cardboard (24 hours), glass (up to 4 days), and wood (up to 2 days).
Therefore, it is advisable to disinfect all high-touch (potentially contaminated) surfaces such as doorknobs, doorbell switches, elevator buttons, entrance door, etc., especially if a family member needs to go out for work during the day and return in the evening or if delivery boys are visiting your house from time to time.
You can use disinfecting wipes, sanitizing spray, or a mixture of soap and water.
When at work, be sure to disinfect laptops, countertops, stationery, etc. Avoid sharing personal items with others.
Author Bio:
I am writing to introduce myself as Leon Reingold. I am the Editor-in-Chief at Drugtestsinbulk, a nationwide supplier of drug and alcohol testing products online.