Going Back to work after the lifted ECQ? Tips to keep you & your family safe from Covid-19

A gradual reopening of businesses and offices in cities was expected after Enhance Community Quarantine or ECQ was lifted to GCQ or MECQ. This meant people are allowed to open and resume businesses or go back to work with certain safety measures. This was met of course by fear and worries by some people since Covid-19 can be transmitted from person to person. It has been a challenging three months for many people. And the reopening of businesses and offices is an answered prayer. Most especially to those with minimal to no income stream for the last three months.

So what do you do to keep yourself and your family safe while going to work and making a living despite the Covid-19 crisis?

Maintain social distancing & wear face mask

Always be mindful of you distance from other people. Be vigilant when you meet people that are not wearing any protective gear like face masks. A good 1 meter distance from other people is the recommended DOH standards. Always assume that people, including yourself, can be an asymptomatic carrier of the virus. When you see people not wearing any mask, make sure to distance yourself from them.

Regular proper hand hygiene

Our hands and fingertips will be touching or holding a lot of items throughout the day, it is also full of germs, bacteria, and viruses. Make sure to wash your hands whenever you can or use a disinfectant like alcohol spray to clean your hands. And do this every time you touch something.

Walk/Drive to work or carpool

The lesser the interaction you have with other people, the lesser chances it is to interact with a COVID positive. It is better to walk or drive to your workplace than commute with throngs of individuals heading to work. You can also ask your officemates if you can organize a carpool together. Or, you can share a ride with lesser people and those that you already know. You can also ask the company you work for if they provide any transportation assistance.

Sanitize immediately when you get home

When you get home from work, make sure to establish a routine to sanitize yourself first. Do this before hugging or interacting with a family member. Wash your hands before touching anything at home and head straight to the shower. Take off all the clothes you wore from work and put it directly to the laundry hamper. Make sure to leave shoes, bags, and other items near the door. Take a shower every time you get home from work. This will help prevent any spread of the virus that your outside clothes may have gotten to your family.

Keep healthy

Nothing beats having a good immune system. And the best way to have that is to keep healthy and eat a well-balanced diet. Skip the junk food and go for vegetables and fruits to get a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals your body needs. If you can, take a Vitamin C & D which are good immune boosters or daily multivitamins.

Despited the nagging fear of Covid-19, we still find ourselves struggling with other people to go to work and earn a living for our families. At the end of the day our lives and family matters, and we can show that by keeping ourselves healthy and prevent infection that is within our control.