Coronavirus: Tips to Implement Social Distancing the Right Way

The coronavirus outbreak has sort of turned our physical world into a virtual one. So many things have changed in these few months of lockdown. You cannot invite friends and family over for dinner, instead you are forced to have a video call with them. You cannot step out carefree for getting essentials, you have to either order stuff online or step out with much caution. Children are no longer going to schools and playing outside on the ground, instead they are constantly glued to laptop screens either attending virtual classes or playing online games. Basically, most of your physical movements are restricted and you are forced to do most of the things online.

Doing things online and going digital for every miniscule task sounds like an ideal virtual world, but, many of you are still not used to it. This is understandable, since we are used to being social. And, we need social meetings, lively interactions and physical presence of other people to be zestful. But, in a situation, which involves life and death, you need stricter actions to do everything possible to make it to the shore.

As you know, COVID-19 is a contagious disease, which spreads from the droplets that are released by an infected person via coughing and sneezing. And, the only way to prevent the spread of this disease is social distancing. So, what is social distancing? CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explains that social distancing aka physical distancing means keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home.

You should follow three simple rules to implement social distancing:
1. Maintain at least 6 feet distance from other people
2. Avoid gathering in groups and crowded places
3. Stay indoors as far as possible

Social distancing has become the need of the hour, so, here are few tips that can help you to put social distancing in action:
1. Step out of your house, only if it is absolutely necessary. Opt for home delivery of medicines or essential items whenever possible, so that you don’t have to go outside.
2. Wear a mask when you have to go outside.
3. Try not to touch anything with your bare hands when you are outside. If you must, then use gloves for holding things.
4. Wash your hands with water and alcohol based soap/hand rub before you leave your house and after you come back.
5. Maintain at least 6 feet distance from people when you go outside.
6. If you happen to meet your friends or acquaintances, then greet them with a Namaste without taking off your mask.
7. Try doing exercises at your home instead of going out for a walk, even if it’s in the wee hours of the morning, when many people are still in bed.
8. You should cook fresh food daily and avoid take away or online food delivery.
9. While you must be already doing it, continue to socialize with the help of various social media channels.
10. You should follow the guidelines laid down by the government as well as your locality. Many societies have come up with certain rules to implement social distancing like not using public areas such as pools, parks and gyms, getting the groceries delivered from a particular vendor, collecting the deliveries on the main gate of the society, wearing mask compulsorily if stepping out of your apartment for anything important.
11. If you have to visit a doctor, take online appointments. Most of the doctors are now giving consultations over video calls. You can contact your doctor’s office and schedule an appointment as per your doctor’s availability and your convenience. Then, make the payment online to confirm your slot. Your doctor will contact you on the fixed time and give the required consultation.
12. Similarly, try to attend all your meetings virtually. There are numerous apps and tools available, which you can use to connect with your team mates. In fact, many of these tools also allow you to share screens, documents and other important material with your team members.
13. If you were supposed to take up some classes, check if there are online options to attend these courses and use the alternative of virtual classes wherever possible.
14. Make all your payments like EMIs, Insurance premiums, house rent, grocery bills and more using online transaction apps/tools.
15. Even after the lockdown is lifted off, you should not gather at one place in huge numbers, always wear a mask, use alcohol based sanitizer and follow all the necessary precautions so that you do not contract the COVID-19 infection.

The coronavirus pandemic has left us all caged in our homes. You should take this opportunity to spend some quality time with your family members and to adapt to this new way of living your life. While we hope that you remain safe by practicing social distancing the right way, we also hope that you have your security blanket ready.

A security blanket, like an adequate health insurance policy, can help you to reduce your stress during this pandemic by helping you deal with the finances if you have to be hospitalized due to any medical emergency, including getting infected with coronavirus.