Coronavirus is creating havoc around the US. Till now, the country has recorded over 215,000 cases with new people getting infected each day. In this time of trouble, we shouldn’t lose our calm, but take a moment to come up with a strategy to protect our loved ones and us from the disease.

Lock-downs are in effect at many places in the country. As a result, people are required to stay at home unless they need to go out due to some urgent need. A lot of people are wondering how they could protect themselves from this virus at home, and the answer to this question is by making your home Coronavirus proof. So, how do we make our houses resistant to corona? This guide will explain to you that along with the things that you need for a home-made emergency kit, in case you need one.

How to Corona-Proof your House

As per the guidelines provided by the CDC and the WHO, people are supposed to wash their hands regularly with soap and water, and in case it is not possible to access water, then hand sanitizer would do the job. Additionally, people are advised to follow social distancing, i.e., refrain from getting too close to people and refrain from crowding a place.

Now, as a lock-down has been placed in several places, people are spending most of their time at their homes. However, we are not certain if these homes are as safe as we are thinking. Is there a possibility that COVID-19 could be present in our homes, and we are unaware of its existence? What are the steps that we can take to ensure that our homes are safe, and there is no need to worry about the virus? Let us find out.

Plan Out

The most likely way for Coronavirus to enter your home is through people. It is true that the virus is not completely airborne, rather it spreads through droplet transmission, also known as person to person spread. So, how could you minimize the possibility of bringing this virus inside your house?

First of all, try not to leave your house unless you are running an important errand, and jogging in the morning or mowing your lawn do not come under important errands. However, if you need to get supplies and/or medicines, then make a list of items that you will be needing and cover as many things as possible. While making the said list, ensure that it has all the things that you will be needing to reduce the possibility of you making another trip to the market within the next few days.

Now, when it comes to going out to the market, try to send only one person to ensure the possibility of infection to more than one member of the family due to exposure to the virus while outside.

What to Do When Running an Errand?

Even though lock-down is in effect, it is not possible for us to stay indoors for the complete duration. There will be times when we need to go outside, it might be while buying groceries, walking our pet, or going to work (in the case of emergency service personnel). So, what are the things that we need to do to ensure that our chances of coming in contact with the virus are minimal?

First of all, follow the guidelines for social-distancing strictly. While going out, especially in public places such as markets, make sure that the distance between you and another individual is at least six feet. The next thing that you need to do is refrain from touching surfaces as much as possible with your exposed hands. There are disposable gloves available in the market which you can put on before leaving your house. This would come in handy at places such as the supermarket or a laundromat as these places are visited by thousands of people daily, and they touch the shopping carts or the washing machines with their bare hands. You cannot be sure if the person who touched the surface before you was healthy. Even if you saw the person and he or she seemed to be healthy, there is a possibility that they are just a carrier of the virus. So, keep your hands covered while you are outside. Additionally, you can carry sanitary wipes with you to clean any surface that you are going to touch and maybe after you use it to make it clean for the next person. While buying or selling things, refrain from accepting or giving cash, if possible. Coronavirus can survive on coins and dollar bills for a few days, and you have no idea who touched the currency before you.

Try to avoid places with crowds as the higher the number of people, the higher are the chances of you coming in contact with an infected person. At the time, with over 200,000 people, reportedly affected by the virus, the possibility of you meeting a person with the disease is around 0.06 percent. The number doesn’t seem high, but the 200,000 people who are reported to be affected are the ones who are suffering from the disease and decided to go for a medical checkup. There is a possibility that a person might be a carrier of the virus without any symptoms or people who are affected and did not bother to go for a checkup. So, practically, the number of people who can infect you with the disease is much higher than 200,000.

Also, regularly wash your hands while you are outside and refrain from touching your eyes, mouth, and nose. Additionally, use an N-95 mask while going outside to protect your nose and mouth.

Quarantine At Home



As the main purpose of this article is to protect your house from the virus, we need to take care of that as well. As mentioned, it is impossible to stay 24 hours a day indoors. So, in the event that you have to go out for an errand, the first thing that you should do is protect yourself. Once you have completed the task and return home, go get a shower and change your clothes afterward. Keep your dirty clothes in a separate laundry bag, even though the best option would be to wash them as soon as possible. In the home, wash your hands before touching your meal and after using the bathroom.

Regularly disinfect the things that you touch regularly, such as doorknobs, especially the one on the main door, switches, peripherals.

You must have brought some stuff while you were out shopping, ensure that you disinfect the packaging when you enter the house. There would also be items that you cannot disinfect by spraying, wash them with water before using them.

Ideally, you should establish a disinfecting station at your home. It could be a room or a small space where you go as soon as you enter the home and disinfect yourself as well as the items that you bring.

Now, one of the best things about living in the 21^st century is the power of the Internet. Most of the delivery services are functional within the country. So, instead of going outside yourself, you might want to rely on someone to deliver the groceries or other stuff to your doorsteps. Opting for online shopping is a wonderful idea, but you still need to be careful while handling the deliveries. Maintain a proper distance from the delivery person and opt for online payments, both for the products and the tip. This way, you won’t come in contact with germs due to their presence on the currency.

Once you receive the products, take them to your disinfecting station and clean them before you use them.

Visitors and Visiting

At this time of distress, there is a huge possibility that you might want to see your friends or relatives. Someone might be sick, and you might be worried. It doesn’t matter how bad you feel about it, don’t visit or accept the visitors during the quarantine. There are other brilliant ways to get in touch with people, apart from visiting them physically. Rely on these methods to check on your loved ones.

In the rare scenario that you visit someone or someone visits you. Ensure that the people who are visiting wash their hands as soon as they enter the place. Keep practicing social distancing, and once you leave, disinfect the things that they came in contact with. This might seem like OCD, but it is better to be safe than to be sorry.

First Aid and Taking Care of the Sick

First Aid is something that you need to have at your homes regardless of the presence of a “deadly disease” out there to take your life. You never know when you might need one. In addition to the standard first aid kit available in the market, you should keep some (not hoard) disinfectant, N-95 masks, and disposable gloves, trash bags, etc. to use when needed.

Unfortunately, if someone at home is sick, consult a doctor immediately even if you are sure that the person is suffering from flu (Flu is one of the symptoms of COVID-19). Next, you need to isolate them from other members in the house and proceed with extra caution while helping them. Take extra care and disinfect the surfaces touched by them more often than you do otherwise. Use gloves while touching their laundry or the utensils used by them. Wash your hands and ask everyone else to wash their hands a lot more often. Ask the sick person to put on a face mask and keep their stuff separate.

Miscellaneous

Corona-proofing your house doesn’t end with your house alone. In case you use your vehicle to travel, you need to clean and disinfect it as well. So, if you have a car, make sure that you regularly wipe its door handle as well as the steering with alcohol-based wipes to remove germs.

Even though it is not generally advised, try to rely on the use and throw products during the lock-down and quarantine period. However, while choosing such products, it would be better if you choose items that are biodegradable.

Get rid of waste material such as used disposable gloves, wet wipes, and other things as soon as possible and keep empty your trash can regularly. Also, ensure that you use protective gear such as face masks and gloves to handle such items. And most importantly, wash your hands with soap and water as often as possible.

During this pandemic, follow the guidelines provided by the authorities as religiously as possible, and if you or anyone feels sick, contact a doctor immediately. Coronavirus is highly contagious and is affecting hundreds of people in the US and thousands of people in the world daily. So, it is necessary that we remain careful and protect ourselves first.

FAQs

1. Can Coronavirus Enter My House Through The Air?
2. Coronavirus might be an airborne virus, but the chances of it entering your house that way are highly unlikely.
3. How Long Can Coronavirus Survive In The Open?
4. Experts are not sure how long Coronavirus can survive on different surfaces. Still, you should consider wiping any surface that you are unfamiliar with before touching it or use gloves for protecting your hands.
5. How Long Does It Take To Get Infected From Coronavirus?
6. Coronavirus is highly contagious and takes anywhere from a couple of days to over a week to infect you. However, there are chances that a person might be carrying the virus without themselves getting infected from the disease.
7. Are Some People At A Higher Risk Of Getting Infected From Coronavirus?
8. Yes, people who are too old or babies, along with people with compromised immune systems, are more likely to get infected by Coronavirus. However, everybody should take the necessary precautions against the virus.
9. Is there a cure for Coronavirus?
10. At present, we don’t have any cure for Coronavirus. It will take some time before we get a vaccine. However, you don’t need to worry as the fatality rate of Coronavirus is extremely low.