HOW TO CORONAVIRUS PROOF YOUR HOME

GUEST BLOG / By Scottie Andrew, CNN--Life under coronavirus means staying at home as much as possible — but you’ll likely need to make a trip to the grocery store or pharmacy at some point. Use this tip sheet to make sure you don’t bring the virus back home with you.

Make a game plan

--Designate one person to be your errand-runner to limit your outside exposures

--Set up a disinfecting station — an area outside your home or in a room with low foot traffic where you can disinfect packaged food

When you’re out

--Avoid coming within less than six feet of others

--Wipe handles on carts or baskets while shopping

--You don’t have to have gloves or a mask — just wash your hands frequently while you’re out and avoid touching your face

When you get back

--Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds

--Disinfect takeout boxes and packaged foods at your disinfecting station

--Thoroughly wash produce before putting it in your kitchen

Disinfect

--Disinfect everything you touch — doorknobs, light switches, keys, phone, keyboards, remotes, etc.

--Use EPA-approved disinfectants (these include Clorox Disinfecting Wipes and certain Lysol sprays) and leave surfaces wet for 3-5 minutes

Delivery

--Ask workers to drop deliveries off on your doorstep or an area of your complex

--If they need you to come to the door, keep six feet of distance

--Pay and tip online when possible

--After you pick up mail from your mailbox, wash your hands

Laundry

--Wash clothes, towels and linens regularly on the warmest setting

--Disinfect your laundry hamper, too, or place a removable liner inside it

--Don’t shake dirty laundry to avoid dispersing the virus in the air

Guests

--You shouldn’t allow guests over right now

--If you need to house a family member or friend, avoid shared living spaces as much as you can

--If they need to enter shared living spaces, ask them to keep six feet of distance

If someone in your home gets sick

--First, consult your doctor

--Isolate them in another room and ask them to use a separate restroom

--Disinfect frequently touched surfaces every day

--Avoid sharing items with them

--Wear gloves when washing their laundry

--Continue to wash your hands frequently

--Ask them to wear a face mask if they have one

Supplies you’ll need

--EPA-approved disinfectants

--If you don’t have disinfectants, make a bleach solution:

--Mix four teaspoons bleach per quart of water; or

--Use a 70% alcohol solution

--Laundry detergent

--Trash bags

--Prescription medicines (you can mail order these)

--Canned foods — fruits, veggies, beans

--Dry goods — breads, pastas, nut butters

--Frozen foods — meats, veggies, fruits

Pets

--Supervise your pet in your backyard

--It’s OK to play with them outside — just keep your distance from other humans

--If you’re sick, ask someone you live with to take care of them while you recover

--If you must care for them while you’re sick, wash your hands frequently

Note: Recommendations for Covid-19 may change as officials learn more, so monitor your local health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for updates.  Click here.

Sources:

--Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore City Health Commissioner and an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University in Washington.

--Dr. Koushik Kasanagottu, an internal medicine resident physician at John Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and who is among the thousands of health care professionals treating patients with coronavirus.

--Dr. Richard Kuhn, a virologist, director of the Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease and editor-in-chief of the journal “Virology.”

--Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Resources:

Obtain Hand Washing Reminder posters free. Click here.