1. Wash Your Hands Often
Perhaps the easiest and most important step to preventing the spread of bacteria and viruses like COVID-19 is regular hand-washing. Wash your hands often and correctly, spending at least 20 seconds lathering and scrubbing, and rinse them off with clean running water. Be sure to wash your hands anytime you’ve been in a public place or after you’ve coughed, sneezed, or blown your nose.
2. Keep Your Distance
Currently, the CDC recommendation for the amount of distance to keep from anyone who is coughing or sneezing is 3 feet. COVID-19 spreads from coughs and sneezes in the small droplets that are dispersed from the person’s nose or mouth. By maintaining this distance, you can reduce the chance of breathing in these droplets.
3. Avoid Crowds
Any area that will be crowded with people will be more likely to spread illness just by the nature of proximity. Shopping malls, airports, and other large venues that may have large gatherings of people should be avoided if possible to reduce the likelihood of being exposed to the virus.
4. Don’t Touch Your Face
This is an important tip and one that can often be more difficult than it sounds. We touch our faces many times a day without realizing it, but it’s important to stop doing so to prevent the spread of the virus. You may unknowingly touch a surface that is contaminated and then touch your face, allowing the virus to enter your body through your mouth and nose from your hands.
5. Cover Your Coughs and Sneezes
Another CDC recommendation is to cover your coughs and sneezes. Never cough or sneeze into your hands, but cover it with a tissue or the inside of your elbow. Wash your hands immediately after coughing or sneezing. Following the proper hand-washing guidelines.
6. Keep Your Home Clean
Be sure to clean and disinfect areas of your home that are touched frequently, and do so often. Areas that are touched frequently include, but are not limited to, tables, light switches, computer keyboards, phones, doorknobs, and sinks. Clean the surfaces with detergent or soap and water, and then disinfect the area using EPA-registered disinfectants recommended for the type of surface.
7. Consider Indoor Air Quality Solutions
Products like CareAire air scrubbers or Phenomenal Aire air purifiers reduce and eliminate many common bacteria, molds, and viruses from your indoor air. These are products you can use year-round to better your indoor air quality, and assist in protecting you from the spread of viruses.
8. Use A Face Mask If You Are Sick
If you are sick, wear a face mask. This will prevent sweat and the droplets from sneezes and coughs to spread to those around you. The CDC does not currently recommend for healthy people to use a face mask.
9. Monitor Your Own Symptoms
Should you experience any of the symptoms of COVID-19 like difficulty breathing, a fever, or a dry cough, seek medical attention. Even if you just have a runny nose, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Don’t assume it’s something like seasonal allergies and take necessary precautions to protect those around you in case it’s something more serious. Be sure to keep your distance and follow CDC-recommended guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus to others, especially those in your home who are in close proximity.
10. Be Vigilant
Practice these steps, and take them seriously. It can be difficult to remember to wash your hands more than normal, and hard not to hug loved ones and share common household items like plates and silverware, but it’s the best practice to avoid the spread of COVID-19. If you’re interested in having our indoor air quality experts provide you with more information about an air purification system for your home, our team is more than happy to answer your call.
