What to do if you are asked to do Self-Home Quarantine
Dr KK Aggarwal
President CMAAO, HCFI and Pasty national President IMA
Stay home unless you must see a doctor. No work,
school, college, cinema halls or shopping. If you must come out of your room,
wear a surgical mask. And don’t share towels.
Self-quarantine and self-isolation are different.
The first measure is for the large numbers of healthy people who may fall sick
following possible exposure. The second is for people who are ill with the
coronavirus — they are a danger to their family and visitors, and must be
watched carefully in case they deteriorate.
At the
moment, with testing still not available all over it is best to self
quarantine.
Governments have the power not just to advise
quarantine but to order it.
Stay Home: if returned from any affected country; have
symptoms of fever and a dry cough, spent time in other countries or on
cruise ships; or ill without any known source of infection.
Home
quarantine of 2 weeks may be unpleasant especially if you have young children
or elderly relatives to care for, or live in cramped quarters with a lot of
roommates.
Separation If you are potentially infectious, it is
important that you separate yourself from your partner, your housemates, your
children, your elderly aunt. Shouldn’t even pet your dog, although pets are not
known to transmit the coronavirus.
A room must be designated for your exclusive use. A
bathroom should be, too, if possible. Every surface you cough on or touch could
become contaminated with the virus.
Have no visitors, and keep three to six feet away
from others. Don’t take the bus or metro, or even a taxi.
Masks If you must be around other people — in your
home, or in a car, because you’re on your way to see a doctor (only after you
have called) — you should wear a surgical mask, and everyone else should, too. If
you can’t, you can create a makeshift one from a scarf or other garment.
Hygiene If you cough or sneeze, you
should cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, and discard the used tissue in
a lined trash can. Then you must immediately wash your hands with soap and
water for at least 20 seconds.
You can use sanitizer, if you can find it, but soap
and water is preferred.
Even if
you haven’t coughed or sneezed, you should wash your hands frequently, and
avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, if you haven’t just washed them.
Disinfect Don’t share dishes, drinking glasses, cups,
eating utensils, towels or bedding with anyone (including your pets). Wash
these items after you use them.
Countertops, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom
fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets and bedside tables are considered
“high-touch surfaces” — wipe them often with a household cleanser or 0.1%
bleach.
Frequently wipe down surfaces that may be
contaminated by bodily fluids, including blood and stool.
Monitoring Keep an eye on your health and call a doctor
if you develop symptoms or if they worsen. Make sure to tell the medical staff
that you are at risk of coronavirus.
Household members Housemates
can go to work or school, stock up on groceries, pick up prescriptions, take
care of the quarantined and keep the place clean.
They’ll be wiping down doorknobs and countertops,
doing loads of laundry and washing their hands — a lot.
Family
members and other occupants should monitor the patient’s symptoms and call a doctor
if they see a turn for the worse.
When around a symptomatic patient, household
members must wear a face mask, as well as gloves if they have contact with his
or her bodily fluids. These should be thrown away immediately, never reused.
Elderly members of the household and those with
chronic medical conditions risk severe complications, even death, if they become
infected. Pregnant women may also be at particular risk, although the data
aren’t clear.
In China, 70 to 80 percent of transmission occurred
within family clusters. Local governments there were forced to set up isolation
wards with thousands of beds in gymnasiums and stadiums to care for people who
lived alone or were at risk of infecting their families.
Family members should monitor their own health, and
call a doctor if they develop a cough, fever or shortness of breath.
Need of the day
Govt, work insurance and mediclaim must pay for self-quarantine. Not
everyone can work remotely. A two-week absence from work can take an enormous
financial toll. [ Source Newyork times]
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