Keeping you and your family safe
You aren’t alone if you are wondering “what can I do to prevent myself and my family form getting the coronavirus?”
If you are working in close contact with coworkers and customers it’s difficult to not feel exposed. But it is important to know that you can still do a lot to protect yourself, your loved ones at home, and the people you are around at work from getting sick.
Protect yourself
1) Don’t touch your face. This has been a hard adjustment for many people, but if you happen to have the virus on your hands (the most likely place to have picked it up first) and you touch your face you are giving the virus the best chance to set up shop in your respiratory system. Especially dangerous to touch are your eyes, nose, and mouth.
2) Regularly wash your hands for 20 seconds with any temperature water and regular soap. If soap and water are unavailable hand sanitizer, rubbed in until dry, works too. No matter which you use, thoroughly rub every part of your hands and fingers, top and bottom.
3) Be mindful of what you touch. Before this crisis we didn’t give a lot of thought to what we were touching. Setting your hand on a counter, ledge, or rail always passed germs along, but that idea is suddenly more concerning. Use a handrail if you need it, but as much as you can avoid touching surfaces that you don’t need to.
4) Keep your distance, 6 feet away, whenever possible. Sometimes it’s not possible, but the extra effort is worth it when you can! Any reduction in interactions helps lessen the spread. So no matter if it is standing back from an entrance while someone else is going through, giving extra space during breaks, or standing back from a counter as you interact with someone on the other side, they all make an impact.
Protect your household
1) Take off your shoes before going inside, spray disinfectant on top and bottom of shoes
2) If possible remove your work clothes before entering your home and wash them as soon as possible and in a load by themselves.
3) Set personal items in a place no one else will touch or wipe down with disinfectant, don’t put keys, purse, or cell phone on counters, couches, chairs, etc. if they haven’t been cleaned.
4) Wash your hands thoroughly before you touch anything in your home.
5) Take a shower before sitting down or greeting your family.
Recognizing symptoms
Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.
Watch for Symptoms
These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure
· Fever
· Cough
· Shortness of breath
Unsure about your symptoms? No matter what, make sure you call your doctor or one of these helplines before you go into a healthcare facility to seek treatment.
The CDC’s Self Checker is a great option to check out any concerning symptoms you have.
Call Kentucky’s COVID-19 helpline 1 800-722-3725
Call Indiana’s COVID-19 helpline 877-826-0011
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html