Is it safe to go to the gym or parks? Small parties? Family gatherings?
With the rise of cases of corona virus infection spreading across the country, social distancing has become very important and to limit ourselves from public gatherings. Most of the countries have announced an indefinite ban on all gatherings. That doesn’t mean that gatherings are risky and hosting an intimate dinner party is a good idea. If everyone wants to do your part to slow the spread of corona virus, social distancing is the best thing to do.
Does social distancing stop the spread of corona virus?
As we don’t have any vaccine or anti viral medication to treat COVID-19, we should try to keep people away from one another and keep it from spreading in different ways. It has been observed that every person who is sick appears to infect about two other people on an average. It is an aggressive concept of social distancing and for people who have already been infected to the virus should be isolated or quarantined.
Apart from these measures to be taken include hand washing, using hand sanitizer and social distancing. We should be keeping away from other people as much as possible because most people have not been tested for the virus. There’s no way to know who is potentially both infected and infectious. There are people out there who look perfectly well but are terribly infectious. Hence, the idea of social distancing is to separate everyone enough so that the chain of infection is broken.
Is it OK to travel?
International travel is pretty much off the table right now, but if you need to fly domestically for work or personal reasons you need to think twice.
Ask yourself few questions:
How essential the travel really is?
How many cases at both the destinations of travel?
Can you use an alternative means of travel?
Is it best to call off your trip?
If you must travel, you should wipe down arm rests, seat back tables, light switches and vent knobs before touching them.
Should I stop using public transportation?
Those who do not have the provision of work from home policy need to travel around to complete their errands. Hence use the public transportation which exposes them to many people and germs.
These people need to keep as much distance from one another as they can, noting 6 to 10 feet is ideal. Travel at non-peak hours, minimize touching surfaces on public transportation, carry wipes or hand sanitizer, and use on frequently touched surfaces, they shouldn’t shake hands or hug anyone they know along the way.
Can I visit the grocery store or pharmacy?
The need for food or medication doesn’t stop us from visiting the grocery or pharmacy store. The people over the age of 60 or are of less immunity should consider others to do these errands for them. In case they have to go, then they should try to go during off-peak hours when fewer people are around.
Other errands, such as going to the gas station or other essential things can be done but things like dry cleaning can really wait. We should limit our exposure to large crowds and to places where entertainment and nonessential activities.
Movie theaters, restaurants, foot ball games ― all these hold a large number of people. It is not only desirable but highly recommended that we reduce our contact with humans.
Can I go to the gym?
If you have a fitness routine and you would like to stick to it then, you should be very particular about the sanitation measures. They have taken to wipe down the equipment before and after using it. Do not be over confident that the most regular patrons are in superior in health and at less risk of falling seriously ill.
You can become infected and show no symptoms and then spread the virus to others unknowingly. Hence, you need to decide whether to go to the gym or better off with an at –home workout routine.
How should I handle kids?
The best thing is, the schools have been closed saving our kids exposure to corona virus. Moreover that kids are little incubators, they tend to spread germs easily to parents and other people in the household.
Though there haven’t been any cases of children falling very ill due to exposure to corona virus, it is better to be safe than to be sorry. Parents have to properly educate their kids, why they can’t play or attend parties and the importance of social distancing.
Should weddings be postponed?
Postponing a wedding last-minute can definitely be a headache. It is a risky decision because the host has to reschedule the number of guests. Also, their ages and health status, the location of the wedding and more. With so much uncertainty surrounding a rapidly spreading and potentially life-threatening disease, it can feel overwhelming. The hard truth is that we all need to make some sacrifices now to protect each other from the pandemic.
Lastly, though social distancing is the need of the hour, there needs to be a radical change in lifestyle and people need to inform, but not afraid.
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