The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread in the entire world in less than five months after its discovery. Worldwide, there are at least 34,018 recorded deaths so far, with 723,700 confirmed cases. The number of recoveries is at 152,032, and while the 21% chance of recovery is hopeful, to say the least, the elderly and immunocompromised are taking the brunt of deaths.
Governments worldwide have imposed their own quarantine restrictions in their jurisdictions, with respective national CDCs laying down preventative measures. Right now, the best course of action is to stay at home. So in this article, we’ve listed down some extra precautionary steps you can do at home on top of the general CDC guidelines. As the old adage goes, prevention is still better than cure.
Place a trash can in every room
Proper disposal of tissues, wet wipes, and other possibly contagious material is one of the most important parts of keeping your home free from the coronavirus disease. This is why you must put a trash can in every room of the house.
Trash can sizes should follow the size of the room. For the kitchen, get a trash can that has a capacity of at least 12 gallons. Suffice it to say; the kitchen has the most activity in the house, so if you can, separate the biodegradable wastes such as vegetable peels, leftover food, etc. from the nonbiodegradable ones such as plastic, tissues, wet wipes, etc.
In bedrooms and bathrooms, a trash can that can hold 7 gallons should be sufficient. Whatever you do, make sure that every trash can is outfitted with a trash bag in order to prevent bacterial and viral proliferation on the can’s surface itself. This way, you won’t need to wash it out after every disposal as well.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that when you sneeze or cough, you should cover your mouth with the crook of your elbow. But the better alternative to coughing on your elbow is to cough into a tissue or a wipe. Afterwhich, you need to dispose of it immediately. Throw it on the nearest trash can, and as much as possible, the less contact with it, the better.
Allocate a separate shoe rack outside
If you have a member of the family that works because they’re essential workforce or they’re working for essential services, set up a separate shoe rack outside to store their footwear every time they come home. No shoes or other footwear that has gone outside should enter your house. There is evidence that the new coronavirus can live on surfaces for days, so err on the side of caution.
There are many easy storage solutions you can use for this, the easiest being a two-tier shoe rack on the porch. If you have cubbies, they can also be put temporarily outside for extra storage. If you’re living in shared spaces like apartment buildings and condos, put a separate shoe rack in the foyer. For extra precaution, spray the soles of the used shoes with Lysol before cleaning them for reuse.
Regularly clean and disinfect surfaces
Regularly clean surfaces inside your home, especially if the inhabitants inside are still going out. Kitchen islands, sofas, doorknobs, remote controls, shared keys, stair handles, etc. should be disinfected at least twice a day. If you have a lockbox, make it a point to wipe, spray, and clean it out every day as well.
Currently, there is no vaccine or cure for the COVID-19. Once you have it, your body needs all the help it can get to fight the infection. The stay at home advice of CDC’s worldwide is a preventative measure in order for governments to buy time in handling the disease. The more people get infected, the greater the possibility of any healthcare system to collapse.
Takeaway
Right now, the entire planet is at the feet of this new novel virus. With almost all countries at the community quarantine stage, it pays to be vigilant and keep up with the latest news regarding the virus. Only go out of your homes when absolutely necessary, and wash your hands frequently.
