COVID-19 infections are now rising rapidly and this means the risks facing us and everyone else are rising rapidly.
Here’s a brief summary, created by respected epidemiologist at York University, of do’s and don’ts that you will find helpful.
It’s more detailed than any other guidelines we have seen to date.
Do’s – guidelines to reduce risks
Do remember we can all be infected with this virus, show no symptoms and YET be highly infectious to other people and our surroundings – always keep your distance – a minimum of 6ft/2m (the length of a 3m sofa).
Do take additional precautions to reduce risks to one another and places and people if you can go out from your home – avoid crowded shops, tight queues and public transport.
Do remember there may be many people who are completely unknowingly spreading the virus – and even if ‘they’ don’t cough and sneeze in your face, they may well be leaving the virus on any public surfaces they are touching.
Do take additional precautions to protect yourself from these public ‘high touch’ surfaces – surfaces touched by many people and where an increasing number of those people will have become infected.
Do think carefully and recognise these many high-touch, high risk, public surfaces – such as door handles, shop counters, card readers, shopping baskets and trolleys, petrol pumps, money – both used notes and coins, items on shelves in shops……… and so on.
Do protect your hands when you leave your home/garden from unknowingly picking up viruses by wearing gloves – you can wash these free from virus when you get home – or if disposable gloves wear and throw.
Do get new habits in place now – if you leave your home, put on gloves… when you come back home take them and your outdoor shoes off – [ the ground is a very large public space and can be high touch if crowds have walked on it].
Do wash your hands when you come in – soap on your hands for 20s will kill any virus.
Do wipe down shopping, your purse and bag and money brought into the home before you put it away – use Miltons, alcohol wipes or diluted cleaning brands – and wash your hands afterwards.
Do rinse raw vegetables and fruit in a very dilute washing up liquid and rinse with water
Do ask visitors who may be bringing you stuff to stay outside – wear gloves to take their shopping in and wipe it down.
Do remember there are also ‘personal’ high touch surfaces in your own environment – keys, mobile phones, kitchen surfaces, fridge doors and kettles, tables and floors… in your car – handles gear lever, handbrake, control buttons, safety belt….. on your bicycle – handlebars.
All of these personal surfaces now need be part of your action plan and new habits for often cleaning/sanitising.
Don’ts
Don’t assume because you know your family and friends and anyone you meet….. that you can ignore the do’s……..!!
Don’t assume because you go to the same shop regularly you can ignore the do’s.
Don’t get fed up with taking precautions.
Don’t put yourself at risk.
Don’t put your friends and family and everyone else at risk.
Seriously – the protective guidelines WORK
And a final ‘do’ – if or when you happen to meet someone today, smile at them –a smile is more infectious than a virus.
This information was compiled by Prof Dianna Bowles (https://www.york.ac.uk/biology/research/plant-biology/dianna-j-bowles/) and is based on a precautions paper written by NHS respiratory specialist Dr James Dodd (https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/our-services/a-z-consultants/dr-james-dodd) along with discussions that Prof Bowles has had with a number of doctors and specialists.
