What a crazy time this is. 2020 was supposed to be the beginning of the roaring 20s and now we are all sitting in our houses binge-watching TV series and going stir-crazy. The Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is affecting the world. It has shut almost everything down and is making people think about their hygiene.
Many people are out of jobs and frantically running around stocking up on food, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies, but what they don’t realize is the more they go out, the more they have a chance of infecting others.
Here are the top 5 ways to stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wash Your Hands
This is so important. You should be washing your hands every time you use the bathroom anyway, but especially now. The rules are to sing “Happy Birthday” twice while washing your hands with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, make sure to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Also, don’t touch your face if you haven’t washed your hands.
Stay Home
If everyone would listen to this one rule, we could eliminate this disease much quicker. Nothing except grocery stores, pharmacies, and a few food places are open, so where do you need to go? Don’t hang out in the park with your friends. For the sake of your health and your family’s health, stay home. You don’t want your grandparent to contract the disease because you had to be in the park with your friends.
Disinfect Surfaces in Your Home That Carry Germs
Surfaces in your home, like doorknobs, laptops, remotes, phones, can carry a lot of germs, more than you realize. People only think to clean the bathroom and wipe down countertops, but there are more to clean than just them. Use an alcohol pad on your phone and remotes. Use Lysol wipes on other surfaces. The less germs that are around, the shorter time this virus will stick around.
Cover Your Cough and Sneeze
You should be doing this anyway. It is allergy season now and coughing and sneezing come with allergies. If you must cough or sneeze, do it in your elbow or shirt or a tissue. Germs can travel very far and stick to surfaces that your family members may use. A dry cough may be a symptom of the virus, so if you experience that with a fever and shortness of breath, seek medical attention.
Social Distance Yourself
If you must go out, keep at least 6 feet apart from others. It may be hard to do that in grocery stores but try as much as you can. Many events have been cancelled because you would be packed in a space with people that are less than 5 inches from you, which would not help the disease to stop spreading. Some ways to social distance are to work from home, keep schools closed, postponing large meetings and events, and talking to loved ones on the phone or via Skype/ Facetime.