Dr. Ambanna Gowda, Consultant, Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Cunningham Road
Covid-19 has left an indelible mark on everyone’s lives and severely affected and disrupted people’s lives. After a long hiatus, things seem to be looking up as the vaccination has begun its process too. Most of the people, being tired of working from home and online classes have been eagerly waiting for re-opening of their institutions. A lot of institutes including schools and offices are reopening with special provisions. It is recommended that as individuals, everyone should be extraordinarily careful and follow guidelines to ensure smooth reopening and being safe.
11 important steps that should be taken by individuals/institutions are :
- SMS – Sanitizer, Masks and Social distancing – these are the principal things that everyone should continue to follow. One should not enter the premises without taking care of these primary protocols to ensure own as well as other people’s safety.
- Temperature Scanning– It should be made compulsory while entering any premises. Anyone with over 99F temperature should not be allowed inside the campus.
- Hygiene – People should avoid using the same utensils, eat separately and carry their own bottles. They should also properly dispose off used tissues and napkins. Use of bio degradable plates/cups should be kept in cafeterias and canteens.
- Avoid touching unnecessary surfaces – People tend to touch the surfaces around them and it is possible that they may contain infection, unless necessary one should avoid touching surfaces and if they happen to, they should immediately sanitize.
- RT- PCR – For people travelling from other cities, these tests should be made mandatory and reports must be submitted to the institute.
- Avoid Cash – Cashless transactions should be practiced. We already have been practicing digital wallet from a few years now, it should be continued now more than ever.
- Online First – Huge gatherings should be avoided as much as possible. Although people are returning back to their workspace, it is ideally advised to give online meetings preference unless it is absolutely necessary for a physical gathering.
- Limited Number of People – Institutes should not open with full occupancy, the employees/students should be called in on a rotational basis to provide enough space and avoid crowding.
- Washroom Hygiene – It should be one of the major priorities after the reopening of institutions. Washrooms should be sanitized multiple times a day. It should also be cleaned at regular intervals.
- Transportation – People should prefer using their own vehicles and if they have to use public transport, they should be extremely careful and avoid going into crowded buses, trains. Using a surface disinfectant is necessary and best to practice a good hygiene.
- Travelling – We must remember that the pandemic is still on and the number of cases have been on the rise. In view of increasing number of cases in other states, citizens can plan travel according to the government advisory. Especially for those returning to their work premises, people must avoid taking trips very often to reduce exposure to the virus.
- Don’t ignore symptoms – People with any minor symptoms should immediately isolate themselves and not show up to the premises unless they’ve taken the test and the report is negative.
