With more than 600 positive cases of Coronavirus detected so far in India, the worries have become endless. The nation is trying to mitigate the risk by taking adequate measures like staying in quarantine, maintaining hygiene, and employees have been directed to work from home. Still, the risks haven’t reduced with the tendency of the virus to spread rapidly. A total of 75 COVID-19 hit districts were totally locked down too, except emergency services like medicines, hospitals, etc.
Since the first case was found in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the virus has triggered a global health emergency. Around 487,434 people have been affected by it so far, causing around 22,000 casualties and there’s no halt to these increasing numbers globally. The virus is a major concern which is why most people have been asked to stay at home, maintain hygiene, follow all necessary protocols, and stay in quarantine. Almost the entire India has been affected by COVID-19. Most states have proposed and enacted total lockdown in all major districts affected.
The fight against COVID-19 continues as people stay at home, keep themselves in total isolation and maintain hygiene while staying in quarantine. The biggest challenge here is to maintain positivity in the air around amid all the panic. So is the challenge of staying in quarantine especially for those who like to work for long hours in their offices and now have to work from home. But, keep yourself safe during quarantine is important too.
So, what should be the steps to take during self-quarantine to ensure your safety and mitigate the risks of the spread of coronavirus? Don’t worry, we here at Colive, bring to you 7 important steps to quarantine yourself safely at home.
Also read: ‘Sarve Janah Sukhino Bhavantu’: New Mantra To Tackle COVID-19
What to do to ensure your safety during self-quarantine?
Staying in quarantine demands a lot of care, keeping yourself secluded from friends and family to stop the spread of the virus and much more. The authorities worldwide have recommended self-isolation, especially for the ones who are sick. But staying in quarantine might also be recommended during the period of the spread of the virus to avoid health risks. People showing symptoms of COVID-19 are ideally recommended to stay in quarantines for 14 days but depending upon the time period for which the virus is contagious this time period might be increased.
Here are 7 important steps to quarantine yourself safely at home:
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Always keep yourself disinfected
Maintaining hygiene in and around you is a must during self-quarantine. You need to disinfect yourself several times a day and involve healthy practices like washing your hands at regular intervals, refraining your touching your face, mouth, and eyes especially with dirty hands, keeping your belongings and room clean and many more.
You also need to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day and eat healthy in order to give yourself sufficient nutrients and improve your immunity. And, before eating make sure you duly disinfect your hands with soap or a hand sanitizer. Take a healthy diet and avoid ordering food as it may carry germs from outside. You can even boost your immunity by consuming organic health shots made from garlic, turmeric, honey, black pepper, and tulsi. Things used or shared on a regular basis by all your family members or colivers like taps, doorknobs, TV remote, and kitchen utensils should also be kept disinfected.
2. Keep yourself isolated during the quarantine
Maintaining a safe social distancing is the most important point to consider during the course of self-quarantine. You might love your family members and friends and would want to spend your time with them but it is your duty to keep a distance from them in order to keep them safe. Socializing less and staying at home all the time might not seem an easy option but you need to refrain from it to stay safe and mitigate the risks of the spread of coronavirus. This little ineptness might actually prove to be a positive step from your end towards maintaining hygiene while quarantining.
A research conducted by ICMR recently revealed that social distancing and strictly observing quarantines can alone reduce the cases of COVID-19 in India by 62%. They suggested that the spread of viral infection can be reduced by imposing strict restriction on the movement of people and keeping a safe distance from anyone showing the symptoms of coronavirus. Such is the importance of isolating yourself from your kids, your family, your friends, and your pets until the risks aren’t dealt with. Still, you can connect with them digitally through video calling or making phone calls.
3. Always use a mask
Using a mask at all times while staying out of your home might be the usual recommendation suggested by local authorities. Yet you need to cover your nose and mouth, staying in quarantine consider it as one of the best practices to ensure safety and security. The World Health Organization recommends it to both sick and to people for keeping themselves safe. Some of the recommended guidelines are as follows:
- Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water or hand sanitizer before putting on the mask.
- While using the mask, make sure that there is no gap between your face and the mask.
- The mask shouldn’t be touched while still in use and if necessary, it should be done with clean hands.
- The damp masks should be thrown away immediately and single-use masks should be reused.
4. Maintain hygiene, cover your mouth while coughing or sneezing
The people with symptoms of COVID-19 like cough and flu should take an extra precaution of hygiene. While coughing or sneezing the mouth should be covered. People who have cough and cold should always keep their face covered with a mask while they are near other people. Maintain hygiene is a must while staying in quarantines.
The positive cases of Coronavirus are already on a rise in India and if hygienic practices are not taken into consideration, the risks might arise. And, a major agent of transmission of COVID-19 is air. This why you should consider covering your mouth while coughing or sneezing.
5. Monitor your health and consult a doctor if the situation worsens
Health should always be maintained in a situation like Coronavirus. While hygienic habits are important, we must make sure that we eat healthy, take adequate sleep, and consume a lot of water to boost up immunity. People with symptoms of the virus or with cough and cold should monitor their health and get a health check-up on a regular basis. If your health condition deteriorates or if someone around you is sick, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Though netizens may find a number of sources to keep a check on their health, they must put their faith in experts or doctors, refraining the myths and rumours surfacing around.
6. Stock all supplies before moving into quarantine
Seeing the current scenario of complete lockdown in the nation and also globally to prevent the spread of the virus, you should always stock your supplies before moving into quarantine. Since the COVID-19 situation is alarming and the cases are on a rise, you might find it hard to keep visiting the grocery shops all the time, due to safety reasons. This is the reason why you should get all the supplies beforehand, foreseeing that the situation might worsen.
Buy all the important supplies — food items, milk, juices, vegetables, and medicines before moving into quarantine. There is another reason to get them beforehand as the shops might go empty due to high demand. You can either buy these supplies in a nearby grocery store or a safer option can be going in for online retailers but make sure you take precautionary measure and maintain hygiene.
7. Keep a distance from the sick during the period of quarantine
Take extra precaution during your stay in quarantine especially if people around you are suffering from cough and cold or are showing symptoms of COVID-19. People should keep a safe distance from them, especially the elderly and pregnant women. You should follow all the important guidelines of the WHO and prevent yourself before lending a helping hand to them. You should rarely step out of your house and stock your supplies before. You should wear a mask and keep washing your hands at regular intervals if you stay near sick people. You should also advise them to wear a mask while coughing or sneezing.
The Coronavirus has led to complete lockdowns in major countries in and around us. It has disrupted our day-to-day lives and has even affected economies globally. It has pushed people to stay in quarantines and the employees to work from home. In such a situation keeping calm, remaining positive, and following the important directives seem to be the only way out.
While in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19, most employees are vacating their PGs for safety reasons, Colive strictly follows the security measures. We are taking necessary measures to tackle the Coronavirus infection, giving the Colivers a clean, hygienic, and well-maintained spaces. Facing issues finding clean and well-maintained homes for you? Visit our website and schedule a visit today!