Health Practices to Protect Yourself During A Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic changed the world significantly. Not only did our way of life take a different turn, but we all realized just how unprepared we are for an outbreak of this magnitude. One of the scariest aspects of this novel virus is how easy and fast it can spread.

This led to social distancing, halting any travel arrangements, and even the lockdown of entire countries! The world is slowly getting back to normal, but the threat is still not fully eliminated from the big picture. This is why people still need to be careful and not cause another outbreak.

Read on to learn more about the safety precautions and health practices that can protect you and your loved ones during a pandemic.

Washing Your Hands

One of the best ways to practice good hygiene and safety is by washing your hands. It is already a proven fact that washing your hands can prevent germs from spreading. We all touch and grab doorknobs, stair railings, and other hard services several times each day.

This is why you should always wash your hands every time you touch something, especially if it is outside. Remember to do it properly with soap and you should wash it for 20 to 30 seconds to be safe. Most germs and especially the coronavirus are easily spread from physical contact and you might accidentally touch your face.

This will get you infected and you will start spreading it throughout your household. But you can prevent that if you and your loved ones constantly washed your hands if you touched something that wasn't properly sanitized.

Wearing Face Masks

Another important health precaution we should all be doing is wearing face masks when we go out. This is extremely important if you're going to banks, stores, or any place that could have crowds.

Face masks are in low supply these days, even in Australia because of the high demand. Advice from the local face mask suppliers like Canberra Diamond Blade suggests that you get face masks online if you can't find any at the nearest pharmacy or store near you. It's the safest choice and it minimizes the chances of getting infected.

Covering your mouth and nose is important because it protects you from getting infected from airborne virus particles and it protects other people around you if you are infected. Just keep in mind that you should still stay 6 feet away from people. Masks aren't a substitute or a better option than social distancing.

Social Distancing

It cannot be stressed enough how important social distancing is during a pandemic. Many people still don't understand the proper ways to practice social distancing right. You must always keep your distance from people while outside.

Staying at least 6 feet away is your safest way to not get infected. Also, minimize your time outside because staying at home is better and safer than being out in the open during a pandemic. Try to cut down on your family visits or your outings with friends.

You can always talk to them on the phone or have video calls if you want to see each other. If something can't be postponed and you meet anyone outside, try to avoid any physical contact like hugging or kissing.

Quarantine Yourself If You Get Sick

If you wake up one morning and find yourself coughing, sneezing, or having a fever, then you should stay home and quarantine yourself to protect your loved ones. Even if what you have isn't the coronavirus, it is still important that you should stay home and recover.

Some people might be stubborn or try to be a hero because of their work or family, but you aren't doing any favors to the people outside if you infect them too. You should stay home and rest until you feel better. You should keep yourself isolated for at least 14 to 20 days. Depending on what you caught, you might need to distance yourself from your loved ones at home too.

Restrict and Minimize Your Travel

People should restrict and minimize their travel arrangements, even if things are getting better. We are still not entirely safe that people can go back to how things were before the pandemic.

Airlines and flights have recently started to be operational and countries are opening their borders now, but you should only travel if it's important. If it's because of work, you should be extra careful and follow the new rules that the TSA has implemented.

Try to find an airline that implements social distancing on the plane by having one row empty between passengers. This can minimize any chances of getting infected on board.

Using Alcohol Sprays and Sanitizers

You should have a pocket-sized bottle of alcohol or sanitizer with you at all times. You need to be aware of what you touched while outside. If you can't wash your hands at any given moment, you should use your sanitizer properly and that can keep you safe until you can wash your hands properly.

Also, you should use the alcohol spray on your phone, keys, and other items with you if you were outside and you left them on a table somewhere. It would be wise if you spray door knobs too if you go to public places. This can keep you and your loved ones safe and you won't bring any germs with you at home this way.

Pandemics come in different forms and humanity has faced several of them and prevailed, but that doesn't mean that there weren't any mistakes made or lives lost. We all must take these events that started earlier this year as an important lesson. We should all act responsibly and be safe with our decisions.

Hopefully, with the right mindset and proper backup plans, we won't have to deal with another pandemic of this size again. Nevertheless, thinking of our health, safety, and the wellbeing of our loved ones around us should be our priority. This is why we should try our best to keep doing the important health practices that can keep this virus from spreading again.