The Corona virus is no longer as serious a threat as it was a few months back but the truth is, it’s still around and has potential to cause you and loved ones especially those in the high risk categories, harm.
Although you may feel fatigued from following the Corona Virus regulations, we still have to figure out ways to keep our homes throughout Summer.
The basic principle of dealing with the Corona Virus is to stay away from a lot of people and keep indoors as much as possible. That means this Summer will be different from our usual activities including copious outdoor activities and mingling with others in get-togethers.
Here are a few things we can do to safeguard our families while still making the most of the season.
1. Take basic precautions
Although you want to break from the monotony of isolation, you cannot deny that the rules we have been using to fight COVID – 19 are working. Therefore, it’s best to protect your family by ensuring they maintain the necessary precautions against contracting the virus. These are;
- Keeping a distance from each other when interacting
- Washing their hands regularly with soap and water
- Using hand sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol when there is no water and soap available
- Ensuring people do not leave the house for non- essential reasons
- Trying to find ways to enjoy the Summer in your home or compound
- Ensuring anyone who exhibits symptoms of having the virus goes to the hospital for a check-up.
2. Choose safe gatherings
Although you want to have fun this Summer, you can’t just invite people over as you used to. However, if you choose to socialize in your home, let your choices be determined by;
- How high the infection rate is in your home area
- Whether you are in a high-risk group – These are people over 60 and those with chronic medical issues such as diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune conditions, heart, and respiratory ailments
- If you live with people in a high-risk group who require you to keep the home safe from contamination.
3. Socialize outdoors
If you find the chances of getting infected are not high, you can choose to have social interactions in the home that do not put your family at risk. You must keep the number of people who come to your home low.
Indoor activities and gatherings are known to be the site of super spreading events where one sick person can infect many people who then go out to infect others, and on goes the cycle.
Therefore, if you have to hold a gathering with people that you are sure will crowd your house, the safest place to do it is outdoors. The outdoors have a free flow of air and will allow everyone to social distance from each other, reducing the risk of infection.
When your visitors come over, ensure they do not bring their shoes into the house. Shoes can carry germs, bacteria, and viral droplets into the home, not to mention they have a lot of dirt.
Instead of using towels to dry hands, put out paper towels next to sinks and washing stations.
4. Avoid close interactions
While you may need to socialize with people this Summer, close interactions that last for too long only expose you to infection.
Through contact tracing, many documented cases of infection are found to originate in closed spaces. Therefore, it’s better to keep your interactions with loved ones or anyone else short.
Avoid hugging, kissing, touching each other, or talking while close to each other. Maintain social distance at all times and avoid holding gatherings where people have to socialize while close to each other for extended periods.
5. Think about ventilation
When you are indoors, make sure your home is well ventilated. The Corona Virus is more likely to thrive where there is no free airflow.
If possible, service your HVAC system as well. Remember, the HVAC system circulates air in the home, and if there are any viral droplets around, your family is likely to get infected.
If you choose to use an air conditioner, use this information to ensure it does not spread the virus in your home.
6. Quarantine the sick
If anyone in the house shows signs of infection, it’s wise to quarantine them immediately until you are sure they are not ill. If there are sick people, you should do the same for them.
The more infected people interact with other family members, the higher the chances of them infecting the entire household. It becomes even more dangerous if you have an elderly person, children, or chronically ill persons who are more susceptible to infection.
You will also have to keep their utensils and other items they use separate from those of other family members. If possible, designate a separate bathroom for them to use. It’s wise if they social distance themselves from the other members of the household until they are well.
7. Disinfect spaces
Studies show that SARS – COV 2, which is the virus that causes COVID – 19, can survive on surfaces such as stainless steel and plastic for up to three days. Therefore, you must keep disinfecting high touch surfaces in the home such as bathrooms and kitchen counters regularly.
A better solution would be to cover these commonly used surfaces with microbial resistant materials. These are coatings applied on common surfaces such as doorknobs, wall surfaces, and countertops that contain antimicrobial agents used to kill germs and bacteria.
They are useful when trying to keep microbes, such as the COVID -19 virus from settling on your most used surfaces. You can also apply them on floors as they have a gloss finish that is easy to keep clean, and they durable.
When it comes to disinfecting surfaces, experts recommend letting the cleaning solution sit on the surface for several minutes before you wipe it off with a clean cloth. That will give it time to kill any bacteria or viral microbes on the surface.
8. Clean high-risk areas
Cleaning the home with disinfectant or sanitizing spaces that people use often is a great way to keep your home free of the Corona Virus microbes. You can use an alcohol-based disinfectant, diluted household bleach, or 70% Isopropyl alcohol to sanitize your home.
Now that people are washing their hands more often, sinks are one place the germs and viral microbes are sure to get trapped. Some experts say sinks contain more germs than toilets due to the dirt and grime in the drains. Therefore, clean them out with soap and disinfectant regularly.
Make sure you use disinfecting wipes to clean the items you often use but never think may be dirty like remote controls, toys, laptops, light switches, game controllers, and mobile phones.
9. Do the laundry
When people go outside, they could pick up the microbes on their clothes and other belongings. Therefore, when you or anyone else in the household comes home, change your clothes and put the dirty ones in a disposable laundry bag. The laundry hamper should also be disinfected, and if possible, seal all clothes you are not ready to wash in a disposable bag.
When it comes to doing the laundry, it’s best to do it as soon as possible. Wash the clothes in the warmest setting possible. You can also pour in a little disinfectant into the water and make sure you dry the clothes properly.
Last word
The key to enjoying this low-risk Corona summer is to do everything in moderation. It’s essential to think about our safety and the safety of others. Use these suggestions to keep your home safe.
