HumasUPNVJ - Quoting from the Liputan6.com page, the Corona COVID-19 Virus Pandemic has forced people in a number of countries to do more activities at home. A number of countries have even closed access to and from their territories or locked down in order to stem the spread of the new type of Corona Virus.

In Indonesia, the government has not implemented a lockdown , but has asked its citizens to work, study and pray from home.

However, there is still no guarantee that people who have been doing activities at home will not be infected with the Corona COVID-19 Virus if they don't know how to protect themselves.

A number of public health experts from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Public Health, revealed how people can protect themselves from infection with the Corona COVID-19 Virus in a pandemic situation like this and what to do if a family member at home is positive for COVID-19 .

The following is the review, as quoted from Science Alert ,:

1. How to protect ourselves from each other?

The idea behind social distancing is to create physical separation that reduces the risk of infection for each individual. While it's easy to stay at home to limit contact with other people, your contacts aren't really limited unless you live alone.

Even if you can't avoid family members altogether, you should think about your living situation and take reasonable steps that are appropriate for you and your family.

If there is someone with a weakened immune system in the house, the rest of the family should act as if they are at risk of being infected by that person. They should limit direct contact with the affected person as much as possible and wash their hands before contact, just like health workers.

Family members with compromised immune systems should also maintain a minimum distance of 1 meter from other family members if possible. They have to stay at home and only allow other family members to do household chores.

During these uncertain and stressful times, it's important to maintain emotional interactions with others. You can still use text messages, phone calls, or video chats to be a part of each other's lives.

However, this is not the time for sleepovers, traveling to visit relatives or friends, playing games, parties, or small group gatherings. This is also not the time to visit older family members or friends who are at high risk for disease.

2. What if someone at home has been exposed to COVID-19?

Just because someone has been exposed to the Corona COVID-19 Virus, doesn't mean they will get sick. The goal of self-quarantine is to keep those exposed away from healthy people, so that if they become sick they don't spread the disease.

Since everyone is now staying at home, you may be forced to spend more time in close contact with someone who has been exposed to a known case of the Corona Virus.

Infected people may be able to spread the virus before symptoms start, but experts don't yet know how likely they are to infect other people and when they become infectious. This is why it is important that people who are exposed limit contact with other people in their household.

While other family members don't need to do anything in particular, people under self-quarantine should do:

- Practice social distancing with other household members, which means staying at least six feet away. If possible, stay in separate rooms.

- Practice good hygiene and wash your hands regularly.

- Avoid sharing household items or cutlery.

- Clean surfaces, including phones, game controllers, remotes, light switches, faucets and toilet handles, regularly. But be careful about using strong chemicals in enclosed spaces, as chemicals used improperly can cause eye or throat irritation or breathing problems.

If the person does not develop the disease within 14 days of exposure, the risk has passed and the person no longer needs to self-quarantine.

3. One of the family members is sick. What to do?

If you have to care for a sick family member, you must also protect yourself. There are some additional things you can do to protect your health:

- Isolate the sick person from other people at home in a separate room if possible.

- Only one family member takes care of the person, minimizing risks to other family members.

- In addition to everyone washing their hands regularly, caregivers must also wash their hands after direct contact with those who are sick.

- People who are sick should cover their mouths and noses with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, then throw it away.

- Do not share household items or cutlery.

- Weather permitting, open windows to increase ventilation.

You should continue this practice until the person is no longer contagious. Because testing is difficult to obtain, you can discontinue these steps 72 hours after symptoms have disappeared and at least seven days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

4. What if you can't do all of these things?

Many of these actions, such as washing hands and cleaning, can be done by anyone, even if several people live in a small house. While placing a sick relative in a separate room is ideal, it may not be an option in a small home.

In this case, the sick person must stay at least 1 meter away from other people. Sick people should wear masks to limit the spread of their infection.

If you don't have a mask, a bandana or scarf can provide protection against the spread of disease to other family members as well.

**All of these tips are provided by experts including: Brian Labus, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Casey Barber, Research Assistant, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Shawn Gerstenberger, Dean, University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.