The Government of India has recommended a voluntary 14-day home quarantine for international passengers, including Indians, returning from places with positive cases of nCOVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus). However, there have been cases where citizens have either outright ignored these advisories or considered themselves to be powerful enough to never catch the virus.
Firstly, the virus doesn’t discriminate. If it can get to a particular individual, you can catch it too. Secondly, the primary concern is not about a young individual contracting the virus, but the likelihood of them passing it onto someone, particularly those in the vulnerable age group such as parents or grandparents. You may even pass it onto an elderly person who doesn’t live with you but happens to be frequented by you at some point in the day.
As Mumbaikars are probably aware, Maharashtra is the worst affected state in India with up to 52 confirmed active COVID-19 cases as confirmed by the state health ministry.
What if I absolutely have to go out?
While social or physical distancing has been considered to be a partial remedy for this, the virus can travel up to 6 feet or two meters. All it takes to be infected is for the droplets (from a sneeze or cough) from a carrier to enter through your nose, mouth or eyes. Keeping this in mind, home quarantine is the best way to ensure you don’t have the symptoms over a two week period following your return from a country or region with positive cases of the deadly disease. Since you can’t control where others can or can’t go, it’s better to take it upon yourself.What should I do during my home quarantine?
There are plenty of dos and don'ts when quarantining yourself at home or self-isolation as some call it. Primary among this is keeping yourself clean, and not exposing yourself to others, regardless of their age group, and washing your hands with soap whenever possible. It is also recommended to not use a shared toilet for the period since the virus can also be transmitted this way by an affected patient. Consumption of non-vegetarian food does not have a link with the virus or its spread, although health officials recommend cooking eggs and meat properly before consumption.
But what do I do for two weeks at home?
Several companies have made it easier for their employees by offering a work-from-home solution. This makes going to the office redundant, something that we all crave at some point in our lives. So get your work done from home as much as you can.
And on weekends?
The same rule applies here, it’s only two weeks. That party, event, or movie you’ve been dying to watch can wait. Thankfully, there are multiple streaming platforms available in the market today that can ease the pain of home quarantine to some extent.
What shows to watch?
Hindi/Multilingual:Asur - Voot Select
Mentalhood - ALT Balaji and ZEE5
Marzi - Voot Select
Special OPS - Hotstar
No matter what the circumstance or if you feel like you’ve caught the virus, the first impulse, understandably, is to go to a hospital. However, on your way there, you’re likely to infect a few others. So the best course of action in a scenario like this is to call the government designated helpline numbers listed below. These are available 24x7, so you can call anytime and inform the authorities to recommend the next course of action.
1075 - Toll-Free
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