Having a plan in place to protect your family in the Covid-19 pandemic can help give you a sense of control in unsettling times. Here’s what you need to do.
Get your information from reputable sources
Get properly informed about Covid-19 developments through reputable sites like the Department of Health’s resource portal, where official updates are loaded. If there’s anything you’re unclear about, google respected, established sources academic or health such as the National Institutes for Communicable Diseases, the World Health Organization or the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Know your emergency contact numbers
Make a list of emergency numbers in case you or someone in your family shows signs of infection: a cough, fever, shortness of breath, painful chest or back, difficulty breathing. Include:
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The coronavirus (Covid-19) 24-hour hotline: 0800 029 999; WhatsApp number 0600 12 3456. Step 1: Save the number to your contacts on your cellphone. Step 2: Send the word ‘Hi’ to Covid-19 Connect and start chatting.
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The contact details for your medical providers, key family members, friends or neighbours, employers, teachers.
Embrace your community
Join or set up a community WhatsApp group so you can share resources, shopping trips and support.
Ensure the vulnerable are kept safe
Create a way for any vulnerable elderly, ill or immune-compromised family members in your home to stay distanced from others – stagger bath times, set up a separate dining table and lounge corner for them.
Have a plan to deal with possible infection
Choose a room where anyone who shows the slightest sign of infection can stay. If you suspect it may be Covid-19 (not just an ordinary cold or flu), call your healthcare provider or local health authority or hospital, and ask about getting tested – don’t just take the person straight in, or they may infect others.
Plan how you will care for someone if they get sick: keep them apart, avoid sharing personal items, provide clean masks for when they use the bathroom, and wipe down all surfaces in it with diluted bleach when they’ve finished. Leave food on a tray at their door.
Have enough supplies so you don't need to go to the shop often
Build up two weeks’ basic provisions. Include non-perishable foods like tinned beans and other veggies, meats and soups, as well as cereal, pasta, rice, dried fruit and crackers; pet food and kitty litter; soap and sanitiser; and medicines, including paracetamol for fever and pain, cough syrup and throat lozenges.
Have hygiene reminders around the house
Pin-up precautionary steps for your household to take, and keep reminding them: wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; cover a cough or sneeze with a tissue then discard the tissue; and help clean and disinfect all high-touch surfaces frequently.
Discuss the plan with your family to make sure everyone is on board, but keep calm and upbeat, and reassure children that they are safe.
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