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.
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