The Coronavirus which is spreading like wildfire worldwide has dealt a huge blow to civilization and brought chaos to the economies of the world. The battle to eradicate the pandemic is currently ongoing and even though there’s no cure for it yet, a lot of countries have begun managing the situation through aggressive awareness drives, and temporary suspension of activities that may enhance the spread of the virus. Here are some safety measures you need to keep in mind to protect yourself and your loved ones against the spread.

• Wash hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer

Maintaining good personal hygiene is effective in protecting against the virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised individuals to wash their hands for 20 seconds once every 30 minutes or use a hand sanitizer with at least 70 percent alcohol content to clean hands in the absence of water.

• Stay away If someone is coughing or sneezing

This is where social distancing comes into play. It’s advised to keep a distance of 6 feet from people, whether or not they are showing symptoms. This is because the virus can be transmitted through the respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks and these droplets can land in the mouth or nose of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

• Don’t touch your face or the faces of others

Keeping our hands off our faces can prove a very difficult task. Oftentimes we find ourselves scratching our nose, wiping our eyes, biting our fingernails or even picking a pimple. While washing the hands often may be a protective measure against the virus, touching the face with dirty hands can get anyone infected. How? The virus lives on metals and plastics for days so, if your hands touch these surfaces and you touch your face without washing them, you could get infected.

• Stay home for as much as possible

Your house is the safest place to be right now until the pandemic blows over. Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread the virus. So, by all means, stay at home and limit your contact with the outside world to the barest minimum.

• Self-isolate if you experience symptoms

As the experts have explained, it takes 14 days to fully detect the coronavirus symptoms so, if while at home you begin coughing, sneezing, or having a fever, it’s best to self-isolate and call the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control to get help. This simple act can help protect your loved ones against the virus.

This message has been brought to you by the Private Sectors Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), a group that is working hand in hand with the NCDC to eradicate coronavirus in Nigeria. To play your part in the support of this worthy cause, please contact CACOVID via phone on 09045531044 or email at [email protected] and also follow @cacovid on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for daily updates.