Protecting Your Home from COVID-19

The UK went into a lockdown, in order to reduce the coronavirus spread, to gain time so the scientists can find both a medicine and a vaccine. This is crucial, we don't know for how long this can continue, but we have to flatten the curve. Meaning, the more we stay away from each other, the more chance we'll have against the virus.

Be aware, this isolation can last up to 18 months. That's the average estimate for a vaccine to be developed and made commercially available. So, the more we get ourselves used to this routine, the better.

I'll be collecting all the potential things we can do to protect our homes from the virus and list them here. If you think there are things would be good to add here, please tell me with a comment. Keep in mind, we're trying to build a perimeter here, that's the essential part.

1. Stay at home: I can't stress this enough, stay at home!
2. Wash your hands, frequently: Even if you don't go outside, wash your hands frequently and keep them moisturised. Watch this video to learn what's the easiest and best way to ensure cleanliness of your hands.
3. Limit the people visiting your home: Even in the same building, don't visit each others' homes.
4. Take off your clothes and put them in a separate laundry basket: My advice is not to wear the same clothes again when you go out. When you come back, immediately strip down and put your clothes in the laundry basket, preferably a separate one. Wash your hands and your face, do a salt-water gargle. Wash out any viruses off of you.
5. Prepare a bleach solution to sanitise surfaces: Put a cap of bleach in a spray bottle (500ml) and fill it up with water. Use that when you want to sanitise a surface. Spray it, wait for 30 seconds, then rinse thoroughly. Use this video as a reference.
6. Landing zone for the deliveries: Prepare a landing zone in your home to store the parcels you receive and keep them there for at least 24 hours.
   • Use your bleach solution on parcel packages. Virus can live up to 9 days on plastic, so I suggest use it on plastic packaging as well.
   • If you have something in there needs to be refrigerated, wash the packages with soapy water.
   • Fruits and vegetables, leave them in a water with a cap of vinegar for 20 minutes, and wash thoroughly.
   • Keep this landing zone clean, clean it more frequently than other places.
7. Leave shoes out for sometime and wipe them before bringing into the house: It's important that you clean your shoes before putting them on the rack, considering the most of the virus drops onto the floor after 6 feet. Your shoes may contain traces of it.
8. Don't let your pets or kids near your deliveries, shoes or coats: Pets and kids tend to touch and lick everything gets their attention. Keep them away from your delivery zone or outdoor clothes, cover your deliveries and clothes with a sheet or a cut-open bin liner. Even if your pet or your kid doesn't show symptoms, they can still spread the virus into your home.
9. If you don't have a mask, use a scarf to protect yourself: Masks and scarves are not a definite protection, but it's been proved that they can provide five times more cover, even a flimsy mask. It's not that bad in the UK, yet, but it's a good idea to be prepared. We'll need to go out at some point.
10. Keep surfaces and doorknobs clean: Just because you don't show any symptoms doesn't mean that you're not spreading it. Wipe your surfaces and doorknobs often, clean more than usual.

Let me know in comments if you have other ideas on how to protect our homes from the notorious coronavirus.