Hey everyone!
I hope everyone is well and that you are staying safe! Just to help you remember the best practices, I am going to give you a little reminder of the health and safety guidelines. 🙂
Even if you haven’t ventured outside during this lockdown, hygiene is still important. Remember it can take as long as 2 weeks before you realise you have symptoms of coronavirus. I think this is the scariest thing about the coronavirus, as well as the fact that the germs are invisible.
Our bin men advised us to wash our hands as soon as possible after touching the bins. This is because the bin men touch hundreds of bins each day and as germs live on surfaces for quite a long time, the bin men could be transferring the germs from place to place. It only takes you to touch the bin to get the germs on your hands, and then to touch your face for you to contract the virus. So wash your hands as regularly as needed!
Masks are advised for protection against contracting the virus. If someone near you sneezes or coughs then these germs will settle on the surfaces around you. The mask will prevent you from inhaling the germs but the germs may be living on the outer surface of the mask, so when you take it off, you need to wash your hands and face thoroughly and then dispose of the mask or disinfect it carefully and wash your hands.
Gloves do stop the virus from getting on your hands but you will need to throw them away afterwards. While using them it is important that you don’t touch your face because germs do still live on them. It may be more effective to just wash your hands with soap after being outside and don’t touch your face until your hands have been washed.
BBC News interviewed a virologist for his opinion and he agreed with this advice. He also said that the virus germs have a fatty layer and soap will break that layer down meaning the germs can be killed easily with soap. Hand sanitiser is also good to keep in your pockets.
The government rules state that you are only allowed outside if you are:
- An essential worker
- going to buy essential products from the shops
- helping a vulnerable person (for example, leaving their shopping on the doorstep)
- travelling to and from work
- getting one daily exercise such as a jog or walk
If you are not doing any of the above it is VITAL that you stay at home to prevent the spread of infection. You can still be a carrier of the virus and pass it onto others even if you don’t have symptoms yourself. Support the NHS and help save lives!
Here is a message from my local hospital:
Thanks for reading!
Charley x