As the Chinese epidemic continues to spread, people may fear infection. Here we provide 12 simple tips that can protect you from infection with the Coronavirus.
In her report, published by the American Foreign Policy magazine, author Lori Garrett said that she received terrified inquiries from journalists and public health workers in China, asking her "How to protect themselves and their families?"
The author stated that some simple measures would protect you from infection. After traveling all over China and Hong Kong, the author interviewed people living with the virus, doctors and nurses treating the disease, government officials and police. She was never worried about being infected, despite being in the same room as infected people because she had taken the necessary measures and precautions.
Here are the most important procedures to follow:
1- When leaving the house, gloves - whether winter or outdoor - should be worn and do not remove them on the train, buses or public places.
2- In case you are on a social occasion that requires removing gloves, perhaps shaking hands or eating food, do not touch your face or eyes. In other words, you need to make sure that your hands do not touch your face. Before re-wearing gloves, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, rub the fingers, and then wear gloves.
3- New gloves should be worn and washed daily, and avoid wearing wet gloves.
4- Masks are not useful when they are worn outside and may not be very useful even at home. Most masks become unusable after being worn more than once. In fact, using the mask itself on a daily basis is disgusting and bad, because the contents of your mouth and nose will cover the mask from the inside with an unpleasant smelling layer that attracts bacteria.
5- Try to stay away from the crowds, and keep a distance between you and the individuals - a distance of half a meter is a good standard - to protect yourself from potentially polluting liquids. In the event that someone is coughing or sneezing, ask him to put on a mask, and if he refuses to comply with what you asked for, move away from him for a meter or leave. Do not shake hands with people, embrace them or politely protest, and say it is better for both of you not to contact closely while the epidemic is spreading.
6- Inside the house, remove all towels from the bathrooms and the kitchen immediately, and replace them with clean towels bearing the name of each family member. And ask everyone in your home to use their own towels only and not to touch the towels for the rest, and you should wash all towels twice a week, and do not forget that wet towels are fertile ground for viruses, such as common colds, influenza and a special corona virus.
7- Avoid holding the door handles with hands, and rely on the elbows and shoulders to open and close the doors if possible. Gloves should be worn to administer the door handle, or wash hands after touching it. And if anyone in your home gets sick, wash the door handles regularly.
Likewise, be careful with handrails (metal fencing) stairs, offices, cell phones, games, laptops, and all things handheld. You will be fine as long as you only use your personal things, but if you need to touch another person's phone or cooking utensils or use someone else's computer keyboard, be careful not to touch your face and wash your hands immediately after touching those things.
8- If you are sharing meals with other people, do not use your eating sticks or dinnerware to move the food from the serving bowl or serving dish. And of course, tell your children to never drink from anyone else's cups or from the shared fluid container. It is customary in China to prepare several dishes for a meal and then allow all those present at the table to use their eating sticks to transport food from the common dishes, but you should not do this until the epidemic is over.
Place a room spoon in each plate and direct everyone on the table to take whatever serving dishes they want and put the foods in their dishes and their personal bowls, then return the room spoon to the main course, and use other people's eating sticks to pick the food from their bowls or dishes and feed them to them. Thoroughly wash all foods and kitchen utensils between meals and avoid restaurants with bad hygiene.
9- The author warned against buying, slaughtering or consuming any live animal or fish so that he knows the type of organisms that were the source of the virus.
10- You can open windows in the home or workplace if the weather is favorable, and ventilate the space, as the virus cannot remain in a place with good ventilation. But of course, if it's cold or windy, make sure to warm the place and close those windows.
11- If you are caring for a friend or family member with a fever, you should always wear a tight mask when you are near them, and put another mask on the sick person, unless he feels nauseous.
When replacing an old and dirty mask that was on the face of your friend or family member, you should be very careful, because it may be full of viruses, and deal with it by wearing latex gloves (a material from which natural rubber products are made). Place the mask in a disposable container, close it well and put it in the trash.
12- While wearing latex gloves, gently wash the patient's face with warm, soapy water using a disposable paper towel or a piece of cotton, then put it in a container or plastic bag before throwing it into the household trash. Long-sleeved shirts and clothing that covers your entire body should be worn when caring for your sick friend or relative. Clean anything the patient wears or touches with hot, soapy water, including sheets, towels, and utensils.
If you have space in the house, isolate the sick person in one of the rooms, or in one of the corners of the room, where the place is comfortable and separate from the rest of the family. And if the weather is acceptable, open a window on the other side of the room, so that the air gently blows the patient's face and then exits outside the room. And of course, do not do this if it is too cold, because the condition of your friend or relative will get worse.