What can I do to stop the spread of the virus?

COVID-19 spreads between people who are in close contact, through respiratory droplets and airborne particles that are created and sprayed when an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes. To help protect other people in your household, you should do the following:¹

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly
  • practise good hand hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
  • use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap and water are not available, and your hands are not visibly dirty.
• Wear a face mask
  • you should wear a mask whenever you are in contact with other people in your house. Ideally, this is a P2/N95 mask. You can buy this from the pharmacy over the phone or online and have it delivered
  • the mask should cover your mouth and nose
  • do not touch the mask while you are wearing it
  • when the mask gets wet or dirty, replace it immediately with a clean, dry mask
  • other people in the household or people providing care to you should wear a mask that covers their mouth and nose when they are in the room with you
  • remember that the mask will have the virus on it from your body. You need to make sure you place it directly into a bin so that is does not rest anywhere else and it will not be touched by anyone else.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces
  • every day, clean and disinfect any surfaces that you touch frequently, such as doorknobs, light switches, handles, toilets, taps and sinks
  • wipe down surfaces with detergent, followed by a disinfectant (or use a two-in-one product with both cleaning and disinfecting properties).
  • if someone else is cleaning for you, they should wear a mask and gloves while doing so
  • wash hands thoroughly after completing this task, even if gloves were used.
• Reduce clutter
  • to make cleaning as easy as possible, consider reducing clutter in the room in which you are staying.
• Practise good cough and sneeze hygiene
  • everyone in the household should cough or sneeze into their elbow, or cover their mouth and nose with a tissue
  • wash your hands after discarding the tissue.
• Continue to breastfeed if you are already, or if you would like to begin
  • you should wear a mask while doing this and maintain hand hygiene.

• kiss or have sex
  • these have a high risk of passing on the virus
• share personal items
  • you should use separate dishes, cups, cutlery, towels, bedding and other items so that others in the household do not use them
  • after use, wash all these items separately on the hottest possible setting.