While it’s important to stay indoors at all times during the lockdown, you might have to venture outdoors to get your essentials. Whether it’s to buy groceries or medicines, some things are simply unavoidable. But the question remains, how to protect yourself from coronavirus when you go out, and ensure the safety of those at home when you return? We’ve listed some coronavirus prevention methods that you should keep in mind when stepping outside during this lockdown.
#1: Use a mask to cover your nose and mouth
If you walk into your neighbourhood grocery store, only to find that it’s compulsory to wear masks before stepping in, don’t be surprised or alarmed! We were initially advised to wear masks only if we showed symptoms of the disease. But now, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) recommends wearing masks for a variety of reasons, along with guidelines on safe disposal. Learn more here. This is because we might be infected, but not show signs of the disease immediately. COVID-19, as we know, has an incubation period of upto 14 days. So it’s best that we stay safe and keep others safe, too!
Now, we’re sure that you’re wondering about how to protect yourself from Coronavirus, given that most pharmacies and retailers have run out of them. That’s exactly why we found a way for you to make masks at home! Check it out!
Source: NJ.com
#2: Stay an adequate distance away from others aka social distancing
Whether you take a walk around the block or simply step out to receive delivered goods, it’s common to think of how to protect yourself from coronavirus. While it might seem obvious that you should stay away from others, did you know that WHO recommends a minimum distance of 1 metre from others? Keep your distance from other people you might meet on the way. Also, as has already been said too many times, avoid physical contact!
#3: Use elbows or knuckles instead of fingers, wherever possible
How to protect yourself from Coronavirus while you’re outside? Try and minimise the number of surfaces you touch. When absolutely unavoidable, try using a different body part! Make the most of your knuckles, elbows, knees and even your feet as you step out. And when you use an elbow or a knuckle to press the lift button, you’ll be safer if you accidentally touch your face later!
#4: Wash your hands thoroughly when you get back (and change your clothes too!)
Once you manage to navigate the outside world and return to the relatively safer confines of your home, do the precautions end? Not immediately! Once you come home, you need to follow coronavirus prevention methods to ensure that those residing at your home stay safe too. The first and foremost way of doing this is to make sure that your hands are clean. So, wash your hands with soap and water as soon as you get back home. Alternately, you can use a sanitiser with 60% alcohol to clean your hands. Also remember to sanitise the essentials – your glasses, phone and keys! Don’t miss out on keeping these essential surfaces clean.
If you want to know the best way to wash your hand, the MoHFW has you covered! Watch this.
Source: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
#5: Clean your purchases and wash hands again
Once you’ve washed your hands and sanitised the essentials, make sure your purchases are germ-free too! Since COVID-19 survives on different surfaces for different lengths of time, it’s safer to clean all the packaged goods you just purchased. For those wondering about how to protect yourself from coronavirus, if you had food delivered to your home, we’d suggest you sanitise the package, or transfer its contents to a plate and dispose of the one you just received. Once you have finished cleaning up all the goods, remember to wash your hands again.
For more detailed insights, we’ve got a reference for you! Watch this.
Source: CNN
If you’re still wondering whether you’ve taken all possible precautions to safeguard yourself and your family from COVID-19, check this out: Everything You Can Do to Protect Your Home & Yourself from the Coronavirus.
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