Now that the villainous Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, is it more than natural to feel anxiety and even panic, particularly due to the notorious lack of resources, containment power and overall shortcomings of our public officials and healthcare system.
But, regardless of the scary numbers, statistics and hospital nightmares, the best prescription for this and any other emergency is to always remain calm. Letting fear alone drive us is only going to make things worse for everyone. So let’s take a deep breath, keep our cool, look at the facts, listen to the experts, and prepare cautiously without losing our minds.
We paid attention to the World Health Organization, epidemiologists and infectious disease experts on how to keep our composure and slow down the spread of this alarming disease, and created our own “Prevention Checklist for the Office,” so that we may all stay informed, ready and as safe as possible.
1. Work from home. Staying home is the smartest way to avoid getting the virus or passing it onto others. Working from a secluded, private space with minimal person to person contact and interaction will increase your chances of avoiding the virus altogether and making sure others remain safe too. Countless companies have currently opted for a telecommute dynamic, holding work communications and meetings via video conference and therefore, greatly reducing the chances of exposure and infection.
2. Keep your workspace clean and hygienic. If you are unable to work from home, then make sure your office remains as safe as possible for your team and visitors. Keep an eye out for contaminated surfaces like desks and tables, and keep objects like telephones and keyboards sanitized by wiping them with disinfectant regularly, “because contamination on surfaces touched by employees and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads.” Another way of ensuring safety inside the office is “promoting good respiratory hygiene.” Ensure that face masks and/or paper tissues are available at your workplaces for those who develop a runny nose or cough, along with closed bins for hygienically disposing of them.”
3. Say hello the smart way. Stop shaking hands, kissing or hugging. This isn’t a hippie music festival. It’s a serious time. We can show just as much love or even more by waving from a distance, because we are protecting each other. Let’s keep those societal traditions and niceties aside while we get ahold of this thing.
3. Wash your hands. Wash them a lot. Our best guess is that coronavirus is transmitted via close contact and surface contamination, so let’s wash our hands like our life depended on it, because it does. Wash them every time you can; after entering a new building or crowded space, after touching door knobs, elevator buttons, etc. Promote regular and thorough hand-washing by employees, contractors and customers and put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace. Make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled and display posters promoting hand-washing.” Soap and water used properly goes a long way in killing the virus on your hands and preventing the spread of COVID-19.
4. Avoid touching your face. “Or picking your nose, or putting your fingers in your mouth, on your lips, or in your eyes.” If your hands touch a compromised surface and then come in contact with your skin, you are pretty much inviting the virus in. We know it sounds a bit silly, but most of us are unaware of how frequently we touch our faces. It seems almost involuntary. “An observational study found that people sitting at a desk working, touched their eyes, nose or lips between 3 and 50 times per hour.”
5. Social distancing. In layman terms, simply don’t expose yourself if you don’t need to. Social gatherings, heavily populated spaces, theme parks, subways, trains and of course, airplanes are not exactly the safest places to be at right now. Stay within 6 feet of each other and sanitize shared objects. Avoid high risk places where you can be in contact with sick people. “This public health strategy is our next line of defense, and its implementation is what will lead to flights and events cancelled and borders and schools closed.” Additionally, other measures to protect our communities both locally and globally will be enforced.
6. For the love of life, if you are sick, STAY HOME! If you start to feel even a little bit sick within a 2 to 14 day period, you need to self isolate. Stay away from other people or pets in your household. Stop sharing household items with family members. Keep all frequently used areas properly sanitized and monitor your health closely. Look for a tiny tickle in your throat or difficulty breathing. Other symptoms include fever, runny nose and sore throat. Please talk to your doctor if you suspect having the COVID-19 and follow their instructions as they might advise you to stay home until you are no longer a contagion risk.
7. And more importantly, don’t panic. Infectious diseases specialist, Abdu Sharkawy said it best: “I am not scared of Covid-19. What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic… I am scared of the masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers… I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed… that epidemic fears will ultimately culminate in a global recession… The fact is the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and ‘fight for yourself above all else’ attitude could prove disastrous.” Let’s instead “temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great deal and meet… this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge…”
References: From the texts of The World Health Organization, Epidemiologist and Public Health PhD, Dr. Malia Jones and Infectious disease specialist, Dr. Abdu Sharkawy. For information related to the COVID-19 and any other global health issue, please visit https://www.who.int