How to avoid COVID-19 contamination amid relaxation of lockdown

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan eased the special quarantine regime in the country on May 18, lifting restrictions on the residents’ movement over COVID-19 and re-opening a number of recreational places.

As of today, citizens are free to visits parks, cafes and restaurants, leaving their homes without obtaining an SMS permit and engage in outdoor activities and socialize with their families and friends.

However, the relaxation of the lockdown does not mean that the virus is gone. It is still necessary to be remain vigilant to avoid the infection with the disease.

Many believe that there is a threat of second wave of outbreak of the virus if social distancing, hygene rules are not observed.

Social distancing

The thing to keep in mind is that coronavirus spreads mainly from person to person. Thus, if an infected person coughs or sneezes, their droplets can infect people nearby. It can also spread through contaminated surfaces such as door handles. That’s why it’s important to avoid close contact with others. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends maintaining a distance of approximately 6 feet (2 meters) from others in public places. Other measures introduced by the Operational Headquarters include not gathering in groups of more than 10 people and avoiding of crowded placed and mass gatherings.

Washing hands

It is recommended to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, using public transportation, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

The new coronavirus can survive even hours or even days on some surfaces. Touching a contaminated surface and then touching your face is one of the ways to become infected. The virus is no longer detectable on plastic after 72 hours, and on stainless steel or cardboard after about 48 hours.

Using face masks

Furthermore, everyone should wear a cloth face cover when going in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities, as wearing a surgical mask can help to prevent spreading virus to others.

Note, that there is no vaccine from COVID-19 yet, but scientists from around the world are working on developing a vaccine for COVID-19. The World Health Organization believes this may be available within 18 months.

As of May 18, Azerbaijan has registered 3.274 COVID-19 cases and 39 coronavirus- related deaths so far. The total number of recovered patients is 2.015.