The last few months in the US, Italy, China and several other countries have been a whirlwind to say the least. COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus has affected hundreds of thousands of people with new cases being reported daily. According to the CDC, coronavirus symptoms include fever, shortness of breath, sore throat, runny nose and dry cough. Some individuals go at least 2 weeks with no symptoms and some cases are more severe than others.
The death rate is significantly increased for older people and those with compromised immune systems. With there currently being no known cure or vaccine, the most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is through isolation and social distancing. While this is a hard time for everyone, it’s even scarier for those who are affected. Here are a few ways to help those around you who may be suffering from the virus.
1. Reach out to family and friends
COVID-19 is considered a global pandemic due to how quickly it spread. It resulted in limited amounts of resources and medical workers available if numbers start to increase. With that in mind, many people are quarantined to their homes, not able to physically go to work, are being laid off, and are financially strained due to the effect of everything.
Though social distancing is the most effective way to stop the spread you can always check on family and friends through calling, texting, and social media. Some people may be struggling with their mental health, finances, and family issues and could use an encouraging word. There are so many unknown factors with this entire situation it could be crucial for someone to know that we are all in this together. The world could always use a little more love.
2. Support small businesses
The US economy specifically is in shambles right now and many small and large businesses are suffering because of this. Many states have passed curfew laws and have ordered non-essential businesses to close early or they are being forced to close due to lack of business. On the bright side, you can still support these businesses online through e-commerce.
For example, most restaurants are not allowing eat-in but you can still order takeout or delivery through food delivery services. If there’s a small business in your community, check their website or social media to find out the best way to support or donate to them. There’s no telling how long this pandemic may last so we should do all we can to support each other in the meantime.
3. Limit your buying at the supermarket
Panic buying when there’s a health scare, natural disaster, or crisis has always been a very normal occurrence. However, this recent scenario seems to have been one of the worst. Everywhere you turn supermarket shelves are empty, toilet paper is completely gone, and it’s even hard to find essential food products needed to feed our families. With this in mind we need to consider each other when we’re out shopping. Our greed will be the collapse of us if we don’t start to have a mindset that teaches us to share resources.
Yes, your family is important and you want to make sure they have everything they need. It’s the same for all the other thousands of families in your city, state, town, and country. Please be mindful of this when you’re out shopping, especially when it comes to elderly people. They are more at risk than others and normally have the least amount of accessibility. If you have anything you can donate or give to someone else today please do it. Being selfish will get us nowhere in a time like this, we need each other.
4. Practice social distancing
This last tip is one of the most important and could be the difference between 10,000 cases and 1,000,000 cases. What is social distancing you ask? Social distancing practices are changes in behavior that can help stop the spread of infections. These often include curtailing social contact, work, and schooling among seemingly healthy individuals, with a view to delaying transmission and reducing the size of an outbreak (Newscientist). This is so important because the virus can be easily spread from one infected person to another.
If you have the ability to stay home for the most part, please do so. It’s not that important to go to a bar or club during this time, your daily gym workout can wait, and visiting that new restaurant you’ve been anticipating is not a priority. In a time like this, it’s imperative that we all put our selfish needs and wants to the side and consider the wellbeing of the community and world at large. Please stay safe, stay healthy, and stay encouraged during this time as we all push forward to get through this together.