What to do in case of a COVID-19 confirmation in your society or building

If a person gets diagnosed with COVID-19 in your society or building, follow these measures: 

• Firstly, do not panic. Stay calm. The infection is not going to spread through the air. 
• Managing committee members of the housing society or building should notify the local health department to enquire about what precautions are needed after the confirmation of the case. 
• Do not allow the building’s management or maintenance staff to enter the apartment of the infected person to prevent them from possible infection.
• Do not let your children go to society parks until the situation calms down a bit.
• Keep practising your regular hand and respiratory hygiene practices. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue while coughing or sneezing, wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based sanitizer in case of absence of soap and water. Clean your surroundings and high-touch surfaces with a disinfectant. Wash all the vegetables with soap and warm water. 
• Stay indoors. Try to work from home in order to avoid crowded public places. If your child’s school are not dismissed yet, do not send your child to school to prevent the spread of infection.
• Staying indoors does not mean zero contact. Stay in touch with your family and friends, especially those at increased risk of developing severe illness. People who have an underlying medical condition and live alone should ask their family, friends, and healthcare providers to check on you during an outbreak.

In order to keep your houses clean and free of infection, clean your surroundings and high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, tabletops, switches etc. on a regular basis. The most appropriate disinfectants for cleaning are:

• You can use your household bleach to clean the surfaces. You can add one-third cup of bleach in a gallon of water and use it to mop the floor and clean the high-touch surfaces. 
• Sanitizers containing at least 70% of alcohol can be used to clean the high-touch surfaces in your house.
• The phenolic disinfectant used on a regular basis at home is also effective in killing germs and viruses from the surroundings.
• Other chemical substances like hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite can also be used to clean the surrounding surfaces as they have the ability to kill the infection-causing agents.