Staying healthy in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic (DOs and DON'Ts)
March 18, 2020Ladies and Gents, bonjour!~
Are you all doing well? I am stuck at home because of the general lockdown in France, but I am thankful that I am allowed to work from home. I know some people are worried about their income in these uncertain times, but I think we must try and stay positive and tell ourselves that health is more important than money (and also maybe learn the lesson that we should always have some money put aside just in case - but that's a topic for another time).
Since I know that people are uneasy and uncertain about the messages being shared, I will try to make a simple list of 4 basic gestures to follow in order to minimise the risk of getting sick in this period (and not only by the COVID-19) and to also make it easier for others!
1. Hygiene, hygiene, hygiene
More than ever, now is the time to take care of our hygiene! I know you must have heard this a hundred times, but seriously - go wash your hands! Any kind of soap will do, just make sure to scrub every part of your hand and wrist! Since hand sanitizers have sold out in many places or have become the object of speculation, washing is your best bet.
But DO NOT go drenching your hands in pure alcohol as I've seen some people advise! It will cause your skin to dry and crack and using it on children's skin is a big no-no since alcohol can penetrate their skin! If you're out of soap, shower gel can be used just as efficiently!
2. Face masks...?
This is quite controversial, since not all countries gave the same recommendations.... some demanded they be worn, others sought ways to stop people from wearing them unless they have symptoms (for example, France decided you can only get surgical masks on prescription).
First of all, there are different kinds of masks:
But it does not work with viruses that are small enough to float on tiny particles in the air, as those just pass through the mask and around the loose sides. So if you're asymptomatic, it won't do much in terms of protecting the others. You'll be spreading the virus mostly through your hands, by touching your nose or eyes and then touching other surfaces. And it can even increase your risk of infection if worn incorrectly!
b. FFP2 and other respirators: you recognise them mostly by their "funny" shapes, like the "duck beak" of FFP2s. These are mostly for health care professionals. How do they work? These are made with fabric that is more tightly woven and then are also more snug around the nose and mouth, meaning less air gets in and out. These are meant to reduce the risk of infection in case of close contact with sick people, but they are also very unpleasant to wear.
Now here is the important part! Because people were understandably afraid, they resorted to buying masks and even stealing them from hospitals to make stockpiles or to resell to others. But this left doctors and nurses and all other health care practitioners without enough masks to protect themselves when looking after sick patients. The natural reaction is to think "I must be safe first", but think about it, if doctors and nurses fall ill, who will look after them and after their patients? That one mask that you've been wearing for the past 2 days and touching repeatedly will not keep you from catching the virus!
Now, if you must keep wearing a mask, lets do it properly! I've seen countless people in the metro pull down their mask, scratch their nose, touch their lips, then pull the mask back up. Stop that! That is exactly how you get contaminated!!
When wearing a mask:
- when putting it on, squeeze the top metal part so it moulds to your nose bridge and also make sure the bottom part goes under your chin - the mask must not be loose!
- to test the mask is properly on, breath in and out deeply: the mask needs to move like a balloon with your breath
- DO NOT touch the outside of the mask!! If you need to take it off, grab it by the elastics or ribbons and pull it off completely (careful not to touch your face with the mask's outside layer!)
- DO NOT put the same mask back on after having taken it off and do not wear the mask under your nose/mouth/chin - if there are any viruses on the outside of the mask, you are now spreading them all over your face....
- if you really REALLY must re-wear the same mask because you don't have another, fold the outside on itself and let the mask sit for at least 24 hours on a dedicated surface (I do not condone this practice, but it might better than seeing people crunch masks in their pockets and then put them back on wile touching every part of the potentially contaminated mask....)
- wash your hands every time after touching the mask!
- wash your hands every time after touching the mask!
3. Keep calm and carry on eating healthy
This is not just for the COVID-19, but should be a lifelong mantra, since a healthy lifestyle decreases the risk of many diseases, such as cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer, depression... If you used to eat at the school cafeteria or at work and now find yourself stuck at home, the more reason to start cooking healthy meals. You might even enjoy it and have fun designing colourful dinners!
If you do catch the virus, it will be easier for your body to fight it off if you're well nourished and hydrated. But let's face it - panic buying is not the way to go! How much of that food will go to waste because people who bought 10kg of rice and 20kg of pasta can not possibly finish it all before the use by date and they'll just bin it? Not to mention that eating the same thing every day must be so boring. And the worst is that those who weren't able to stock up might be the ones who are the most at risk, such as the elderly. So buy responsibly, even in a case of lock up you can still go food shopping so don't buy more than a weeks necessities (you're not going to tell me a family is going to use up 20 rolls of TP in one week?...)
4. Be a hermit and recharge
I can say that for me it's easy, I've always been a bit of a loner and spending my day at home is just a normal Sunday for me. But I get that others are outgoing and thrive through social interaction. Don't worry, there will still be plenty of time for that in the future. But now it's the time to control ourselves and keep our distance. It could be a great time to reflect on yourself and your life, meditate, read a book, learn about something new...there are sooo many things you can do to keep yourself occupied indoors. Hell, I'm writing this article and having a blast!
Even if your country isn't in lockdown and asking you to stay at home, you should still limit your outings until the pandemic burns out. If everyone falls ill at the same time, the hospitals will be overwhelmed and have to choose who to try to save...so lets avoid getting there, yes? It doesn't mean that you should become paranoid about everyone around you, but for a few weeks it will be ok if you don't buy your fresh baked breakfast every morning but rather eat at home.
In the mean time, I'm sending you all lots of non-infectious but very contagious virtual love! Stay safe and look after yourselves!
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