15 Safety Tips To Protect Yourself From Coronavirus

Started from the city of Wuhan (China), the coronavirus (COVID-19) has now spread to Iran, Italy, Japan, France, USA, Singapore, Malaysia and many other countries. The death toll of coronavirus in these countries is rising day by day and according to WHO, it could soon be a pandemic due to the contagious nature of the virus.

Coronavirus is a zoonotic disease whose symptoms include common flu, cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache, sneezing and fatigue. In severe cases, the symptoms may include pneumonia, severe respiratory problems, diarrhoea and death. Due to the highly contagious nature of coronavirus, government and many private healthcare sectors are coming out with several safety tips to prevent the spread of the virus from one individual to the another.

Take a look at the coronavirus safety tips declared by World Health Organization (WHO) and spread the message to your family and friends.

1. Avoid Travel: First of all, restrain from any kind of travel if you have flu-like symptoms like cough, fever, runny nose or sneezing.

2. Avoid the crowd: Even if someone seems to be normal with no coronavirus symptoms, they may still be carrying the pathogens as the incubation period for this infection is 14 days. So, avoid the crowd as you don't know who all are carrying the virus and may infect you.

3. Seek Medical Care: If you have returned from coronavirus infected countries and have flu symptoms and difficulty in breathing, immediately seek help from medical experts or healthcare providers.

4. Maintain a distance: Stay away from people who have flu or common cold symptoms. Maintain a distance of approx. 0.5m to 2m with the infected people to prevent the spread of infected droplets to your body.

5. Keep hands clean: Wash hand frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based handwash for at least 20 seconds.
6. Maintain personal hygiene: Use disinfectant to daily clean the surfaces of your house, doorknobs, tables, toilets, computers, laptops, switches and office stationery.

7. Don't touch eyes with infected hands: When an infected person sneezes or coughs without any mask, the pathogens come out in the form of droplets and spread on objects like a chair or a table. When another person touches those objects and then touches his/her eyes, nose or mouth, the pathogens get inside the body through these mediums and infect them. The pathogens can stay alive for around 48 hours in those objects.

8. Special care for elders: Older adults have a weak immune system which is why it is suggested to take special care of family members who are old and sick.
9. Cover mouth and nose: If you have flu-like symptoms and coughs and sneeze frequently, always use a tissue and throw it immediately after use and wash hands with alcohol-based soap and water.

10. Don't touch the mask: If you are wearing a mask to cover your mouth and nose, avoid touching it with bare hands once it is worn.

11. Carry an extra mask: Many people are careless and unserious about the possibility that they can be carrying and spreading the virus to others by coughing or sneezing. If you find anyone with flu-like symptoms gives them the extra mask to cover their mouth.

12. Handle masks with care: After using the mask, remove it safely or discard it if the mask is for single-time use. Wash hands immediately.

13. Avoid eating raw foods: Eat only properly cooked foods and avoid having undercooked or half-cooked foods or meat products. Even if you have touched raw meat or any part of dead animals, wash hands immediately.

14. Prevent spitting: When you are outside in the public, avoid spitting as the infected droplets may get transferred to another person in case they come in contact with the droplets.

15. Avoid close contact with animals: Avoid travelling to farms or animal markets or places where animals are slaughtered. Also, avoid contact with live animals who are sick.