Coronavirus or COVID-19 was first reported in 2019 in the City of Wuhan in China. This disease spread quickly to other parts of China. At present, there are several confirmed cases of COVID-19 all around the world including Italy, the UK, the USA, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany and India. Here are a few COVID 19 home quarantine guidelines you must follow if it comes to that.
A suspect or a case of COVID-19 once detected must be followed by quick isolation. Once the case has been identified s/he has to be isolated in the health center designated by the authorities. All contacts of the suspect case/confirmed case of COVID 19 have to be listed and they have to be home quarantined.
COVID
19 Home Quarantine Guidelines – A Comprehensive Guide
Who
Is A Contact?
First things first. A healthy individual who
has come into contact with a person infected with a disease or has been exposed
to an environment that is contaminated is referred to as a contact.
The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 contact can be
identified by considering the following.
Shared
the same housing space with the suspect case of COVID-19
Direct
physical contact with a suspect/confirmed case
Shared a
closed space with the infected/suspect
Came in
to contact with secretions that are infected without the required
covering/protection (Personal Protective Equipment-PPE)
The
possibility of breach of the personal protective equipment while in contact
with a suspect/confirmed case
Face to
face contact at a distance shorter than 1 meter
Travelled
together: be it in a plane/train compartment/taxi/bus
The
association with the suspect/confirmed case of COVID-19 could have happened
within 14 days before the disease onset.
COVID
19 Home Quarantine Guidelines For Contacts
Given
below are some of the important instructions to be followed by a home
quarantined contact.
Remain in a single room
The room must be properly ventilated
Use a separate toilet/bathroom
Maintain a minimum distance of 1 meter from the
other person if the room is being shared
Stay away from people with other diseases
Stay away from children and the elderly
Stay away from pregnant women
Restricted movement within the house
Do not attend public, religious, social
gatherings
This could include a funeral, a marriage, a
conference etc
COVID 19 Home Quarantine Guidelines – Health
Measures To Be Adopted By The Contact
Use a hand sanitizer that is alcohol-based
regularly
Wash your hands as often as you can
Thoroughly wash your hands using soap and water
Do not share your personal/household things with
people at home
This includes towels, clothes, plates, cups etc
Always
wear a surgical mask
Change it every 6-8 hours
Do not reuse a disposable mask
These masks must be treated as potentially
infected
The mask used by the patient/close
contacts/caretakers during isolation at home must be disinfected
Use bleach/sodium hypochlorite to disinfect
Dispose of by burying/burning it
COVID
19 Home Quarantine Guidelines – Instructions
For The Family Of The Contact
Only one
member should be assigned as care-taker
Strictly
prohibit visitors
Direct
skin contact must be avoided
Clean
the linen/surfaces regularly
Use a
pair of disposable gloves while cleaning
After
removing the gloves wash hands
thoroughly
COVID
19 Home Quarantine Guidelines – How To
Disinfect The Environment?
The
quarantined person’s room must be cleaned regularly
Especially
surfaces like bed frames, chairs and tables etc
Disinfect
using a solution of Sodium Hypochlorite
Use a
bleach solution to disinfect the toilet and bathroom surfaces every day
Linen
and clothes used by the patient must be washed daily
Wash it
separately using detergents and dry it completely
Duration
Of Home Quarantine
14 days
if the person was in contact with a confirmed case of COVID 19
A lesser
period if the suspect’s COVID-19 laboratory test results turn out to be
negative
In case the contact gets symptoms like fever, dry cough, breathing difficulty she/he must get in touch with the closest health care center immediately. The family members have to be quarantined for 14 days. Follow-up must be done for another 14 days or until the COVID-19 test results turn out to be negative.