Health and safety best practices

Personal hygiene and other health & safety tips to #StopTheSpread of COVID-19

Contents:

• COVID-19 symptoms
• Personal hygiene best practices
• Latest COVID-19 advice in Australia
• Staying connected at home

It has been made abundantly clear that, if we are to recover quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic, everybody in Australia needs to follow the personal hygiene and social-distancing best practices recommended by the government and reputable health organisations.

So you can stay up-to-date, and to avoid the spread of misinformation, we’ve compiled a list of official resources that provide the guidelines we all need to follow. Together, let’s #StopTheSpread.

COVID-19 symptoms

The symptoms of COVID-19 resemble that of the common cold or flu, however there can be severe complications (Source).

Symptoms

• Runny nose
• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Diarrhoea

Complications

• Severe acute respiratory syndrome
• Pneumonia
• Kidney failure

Personal hygiene best practices

1. Wash your hands frequently with soap for 20 seconds (approximately as long as it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’).
2. Do not touch your face. The virus can enter through your nose, mouth and eyes.
3. Do not wear a mask unless you are sick. The majority of commercially available face masks are not designed to block particles of this size.
4. Cough/sneeze into your elbow or a tissue.
5. Put used tissues into the bin immediately.
6. Regularly disinfect/sanitise surfaces, doorknobs and frequently used objects (including your mobile phone).
7. Practice social distancing. This is critical to #StopTheSpread. Stay at home unless you have to go to work or you’re picking up essential supplies. Always maintain a distance of 1.5 metres between you and anyone else.
8. Self-isolate/self-quarantine if necessary. You must self-isolate if:
   1. you have COVID-19,
   2. you have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, or
   3. you arrived in Australia after midnight on 15 March 2020.

10 Things You Can Do To Manage COVID-19 At Home – YouTube video released by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Latest COVID-19 advice in Australia

All the latest advice and restrictions regarding COVID-19 can be found on the Australian Government Department of Health website.

From Mothers Day 2020, state governments began talking about plans to ease restrictions in their states. Socialising, in moderation, and gathering in (small) groups outdoors are back on the agenda. Victoria and NSW remain on the tougher side with their Coronavirus measures, in direct correlation to their higher volume of cases. Find out the current restrictions in your state in this article.

Staying connected at home

While practising social distancing and/or self-isolation, it’s important to stay connected with colleagues (if working) and loved ones via the telephone or internet. Not only does this help to alleviate the loneliness, it could also save your business if you’re able to conduct operations online. The following things can all be done virtually:

• Business meetings
• Workouts/yoga/personal training
• Academic study/vocational training
• Webinars/learning new skills
• Drinks with friends, aka “virtual pubbing”

The team at Kwasi has been working from home (WFH) for a while and conducting business via virtual collaboration tools. For some tips, check out our working from home page. We also provide some resources and guidance that might be helpful on our business survival tips page. If you need any assistance transitioning from offline to online, let us know.

In the meantime, check out our morale-boosting tips and resources to help you stay sane during this strange time.