How To Stay Calm In The Middle Of A Pandemic

It’s normal to feel anxious when there’s a worldwide pandemic but panicking would do more harm than good. With the implementation of an Enhanced Community Quarantine in Luzon, due to the spike in COVID-19 cases, it is alarming to see people flock to the supermarkets to hoard sanitizers, wipes, and disinfectants. In fact, just hours after the government announced the initial Community Quarantine, not a bottle of alcohol could be found in supermarket shelves—an issue that we really need to talk about.

Here are 8 preventive measures that you can do instead of panicking:

Stay at home

Staying at home can keep you safe from COVID-19! This isn’t the right time to hang out with friends, travel, and contemplate in a park. This is the time to stay still and be productive in the comfort of your home. Now is the perfect time to read a book, cook a nice meal, and learn something new.

Know the facts about COVID-19

Don’t believe everything you see on social media. Some news headlines can be misleading which causes panic and stress for everyone! All you ever need to know about COVID-19 are the following:

What is COVID 19?

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.

How is it transmitted?

People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth when the infected person coughs, exhales, and sneezes. These droplets may land on objects and surfaces. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. People can also catch COVID-19 if they breathe in droplets from the infected person who coughs out, sneezes,  or exhales droplets.

Simple things you can do to protect yourself from COVID-19:
  1. Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or with soap and water.
  2. Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
  3. Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze.

Resource: World Health Organization

Educate others

Now that you’ve learned the facts, it’s now our social responsibility to educate others as well — to further raise awareness about the virus, to inform others about the safety measures, and to prevent the spread of misinformation.

Stop Panic Buying

As mentioned, hoarding essential items could only do more harm than good — leaving nothing for other people and giving them no chance to sanitize their homes and families. Most people can’t even afford to buy these items, so please let’s help each other beat this pandemic!

Donate to the needy

Before buying stuff in bulk, perhaps you should take a moment and ask yourself if you really need an excessive amount of toilet paper. Those excess items might benefit our frontliners and others who need it more.

Practice Social Distancing

In case you’re going out to buy from the grocery or the drug store, always maintain at least a 1 meter (3 feet) distance between yourself and another person. Why? To further prevent contracting the virus. The symptoms appear 2-14 days after exposure so sometimes we really can’t tell who might have it.

Grabbed from: Makati Medical Center

Get yourself checked

Feeling a little under the weather? Don’t panic! Just go straight to the hospital and get yourself checked. Check out this infographic above to know where to go!

Lastly, think about our health professionals

Following safety precautions can not only benefit you and the people around you but also our brave frontliners who are doing everything they can to contain COVID-19. Let’s help and support our doctors, nurses, ER, and medical staff who are risking their lives for us!

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