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After a generalized quarantine period, when people start to return to the street and there is an increase in social interactions, there are some precautions that are extremely important to ensure that the speed of transmission of the disease remains low.
In the case of COVID-19, WHO states that the main forms of transmission continue to be direct contact with infected people, as well as the inhalation of respiratory particles from people with the infection. Thus, the most important precautions that must be maintained after quarantine are:
1. Wear a mask in public places
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that is mainly transmitted through droplets released by sneezing and coughing. Thus, the use of a mask in public places is very important to prevent these particles from spreading and being inhaled by other people, especially in closed environments, such as markets, cafes or buses, for example.
The mask must be worn by all people who are sneezing or coughing, but it must also be worn by people without symptoms, since there are reported cases of people who transmitted the virus until a few days before the first symptoms of the infection appear.
2. Wash your hands frequently
Frequent hand washing is another practice that must be maintained after quarantine, as in addition to helping to control the transmission of the new coronavirus, it also helps to prevent many other diseases that can be transmitted by the hands.
Disease transmission happens when you touch your hands on a contaminated surface and then bring your hands up to your eyes, nose or mouth, which have thin mucous membranes that allow viruses and bacteria to enter the body more easily.
Hand washing should therefore be maintained frequently and especially after being in a public place with other people, such as after shopping at the supermarket. If you cannot wash your hands with soap and water, another alternative is to disinfect your hands with alcohol gel or another disinfectant.
3. Prefer outdoor activities
According to a study carried out in Japan [1], the risk of catching the new coronavirus appears to be 19 times greater in indoor locations. Thus, whenever possible, one should choose to perform outdoor activities, avoiding closed places such as cinemas, stores or malls.
If you need to go indoors, the ideal is to go for the shortest time necessary, wear a mask, avoid touching your hands with your face, keep 2 meters away from other people and wash your hands after leaving the room.
4. Maintain social distance
Another very important care is to keep the social distance of at least 2 meters. This distance ensures that the particles released by a cough or sneeze are not able to spread so quickly between people.
The distance should be respected mainly in closed places, but it can also be maintained in outdoor environments, especially when people are not wearing a protective mask.
Created by: Tua Saúde Editorial Team
Bibliography>
- ANVISA. TECHNICAL NOTE Nº 04/2020 GVIMS / GGTES / ANVISA - Guidelines for health services: prevention and control measures that must be adopted when assisting suspected or confirmed cases of infection with the new coronavirus (2019- nCoV). 2020. Accessed on 31 Jan 2020
- WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. WHO recommendations to reduce risk of transmission of emerging pathogens from animals to humans in live animal markets. Available in: . Accessed on 28 Jan 2020
- NISHIURA, Iroshi et al .. Closed environments facilitate secondary transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). medRxiv. 2020
- WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report - 7. 2020. Available at:. Accessed on 28 Jan 2020