Follow the advice of the Health Authorities to stop the coronavirus

Published: 23 March, 2020 - Updated: 25 May, 2023 | 5'

COVID-19 and Coronavirus are two of the most heard words during these days and there are also many recommendations that we hear daily to stop its spread.

First of all, it is important to really know what a coronavirus is and to keep up with the information we have about this pandemic. This should always be done through official agencies such as the ECDC, the WHO and the CDC, as well as relevant public health authorities locally.

Besides, some telephone lines and telematics applications have been enabled to provide assistance for information and care needs. You may find out about them depending on your Autonomous Community or city.

In order to prevent its appearance, it is important to follow some recommendations and measures, all of them published by these official institutions in their websites. Facing the COVID-19 is a task for everyone in order to stop its spread.

What official measures are recommended to prevent COVID-19?.

The Spanish Ministry of Health provides some recommendations for individual protection against respiratory diseases, such as Coronavirus:

• Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds. This must be done with water and soap or alcoholic solutions, and mainly after direct contact with people who are sick or their environment.
• When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow and not with your hand, as is often done.
• Use tissues, and throw them away after use.
• If you have respiratory symptoms, avoid any close contact ( keeping a distance of approximately 1-2 meters) with other people.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands, as these are the ones that help spread the disease.

In general and according to the rules established so far, no special precautions are necessary with animals in Spain or with food, to prevent this disease.

What does the World Health Organization say?.

Other measures that WHO suggests, especially in areas where the COVID-19 pandemic is spreading, include

• Stay home if you are not feeling well. If you have a fever, cough, and have trouble breathing, please look for medical attention by calling the hotline numbers provided in your area and always follow the advice of local health authorities. 
• If you are contacting for possible symptoms, you must also inform them of any recently taken trips or if you have had contact with people who have been on a trip.
• If it is necessary to leave home or receive a visit (for example, to get food), wear a mask to avoid the possibility of infecting other people, if you have symptoms or are a person at risk.

COVID-19 Service Telephone Number.

The Spanish Ministry of Health recommends that people with fever, cough or trouble breathing stay at home and contact the health services from there by calling the authorized phone number of their Autonomous Community. These are available on the website of the Spanish Ministry of Health.

In case of health emergency call 112, or feel a lack of air, worsening or serious feeling for any other symptom.

Should I wear a mask?.

With regard to the use of masks, the WHO does not recommend their regular use during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic: "If the respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19 (especially coughing) are not evident or if a person who may have been infected with this disease is not cared for, it is not necessary to wear a clinical mask". 

However, its use is important in hospitals where health care staff deal with infected patients. This is why the WHO adds that "Inappropriate or excessive use of clinical masks can lead to serious problems of lack of supplies and lack of masks for people who need to wear them.

For more details on this topic, visit the WHO website.

Measures at home to Prevent VIDOC-19.

in Spain, people should only leave their homes if they cannot telework or buy essential products, with the aim of reducing the number of people moving around and thus avoiding the spread of the virus.

The hygiene and prevention recommendations provided by the Spanish Ministry of Health are of similar compliance both if you leave your home, either to go shopping or to the pharmacy, and if you stay there.

However, this means that you cannot go to visit friends or family, as these measures have been established to reduce contact between people in order to stop the spread of the virus. Therefore, you should comply with them in the same way and especially after you are back home for an essential outing. Remember:

• Do not visit friends or relatives, except to provide essential goods to high-risk people who need them, such as the elderly or people suffering from a respiratory condition.
• Wash your hands often at home as well. 
• Protect yourself when walking your pet or when you take out the waste and especially when you go shopping. Remember to keep a distance of 1-2 meters if you meet someone else and wash your hands when you are back.
• The community areas of residential homes and apartments are also areas at risk of COVID-19 infection. Therefore, do not stay on rooftops, practice outdoor sports or walk in the gardens or parks if there are any.

And for shopping?.

In the same way, the Spanish Ministry of Health provides some recommendations when leaving your home to buy essential goods, which includes going to the supermarket.

These tasks can be performed by those who do not have symptoms (fever, cough, or difficulty breathing) and avoid as much as possible high-risk people going outside. Also, one person should only go outside and, besides:

• Avoid crowds and keep a minimum distance of 1-2 meters.
• Use disposable gloves.
• Do not touch your face and wash your hands when you arrive home.
• If you know a high-risk person who cannot go out to have their shopping done, you may bring them their shopping and leave it at their door, always keeping a safe distance.

Mental health during the stay at home by Coronavirus.

Staying at home during the actual state of sanitary alarm can be, in some cases, difficult. For this reason, it is important to pay special attention to self-care and our mental well-being while the period of isolation derived from the COVID 19 pandemic continues.

Isolation can lead to a worsening of mental health, so it is therefore very important to follow the recommendations of psychology professionals regarding self-care.

According to the Mental Health Confederation of Spain, these recommendations include: 

• In case of living with other people, keep the privacy of the spaces, while, in case of living alone, make use of new technologies through video calls and keep in touch with family or friends.
• Be busy and follow routines. It is also important to follow sleeping and eating habits, as well as to find enjoyable activities and to have an adequate occupational balance.
• Do physical exercise, even if it is only stretching, and avoid being seated all day, as this may affect the quality of sleep.
• Avoid being constantly over-informed, spending some time each day to keep up to date with the evolution of the virus, always through the official sources in order to avoid hoaxes.

Protect yourself and others.

Therefore , following the information provided by official sources, remember five basic rules for COVID-19 prevention:

• Keep up to date about the pandemic situation in your community, region or country, through official health sources.
• Abide by official regulations to prevent spread.
• Hygiene rules for respiratory infections.
• Avoid close social contact.
• A lot of common sense. Supermarkets and basic necessities shops remain open and are in constant stock. Go shopping in the same way as in any other circumstance, it is not a question of over stocking up.

This is how, together, we can beat this epidemic. #IamResponsible