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- Maintain a minimum of 6ft (2m) distance from others outside of your isolation bubble at all times. The distance of 6ft is a minimum, as this is considered the distance that most respiratory droplets tend to travel during normal interactions with others. If you will be interacting for longer than 15 minutes, having a conversation, loud speaking/singing or exercising, increased distancing is recommended. 6ft/2m is further than you may think.
- Stick with your isolation bubble. This is the small group of people with whom you have been in close and constant contact. For most, this is your immediate family with whom you live. Don’t gather in close proximity with people outside of your isolation bubbles for now. Once you begin close interactions with anyone from outside of your isolation bubble, you expose yourself and all of those in your bubble to that outside person and everyone they have been in close contact with. This is especially challenging for children and extra care should be taken to educate and monitor your children in this regard.
- Wash hands frequently with soap or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Coronavirus is most commonly transmitted by breathing in droplets, but infection can occur when the virus is introduced into the body via eyes or mouth or nose. If your hands touch contaminated surfaces and then touch your face/eyes/nose you can become infected. Conversely, if you have touched your face or coughed into your hand, and then touch surfaces without washing your hands, this can lead to infection in others. Washing your hands properly before and after touching your face and going to the bathroom is the best way to ensure that you do not mistakenly expose yourself or others to the virus. Gloves alone do not offer protection and sometimes can lead to an even higher risk of transmission. Gloves are best used for short periods when you are most at risk of coming into contact with contaminated people or surfaces, not for regular use.
- Keep frequently touched surfaces clean. Surfaces such as door handles, handrails, bathroom taps, shared tables, payment machine surfaces, and other items that are touched frequently by many different people should be cleaned with an appropriate disinfectant regularly.
- Wear a mask or face covering when you are out in public and/or unable to maintain 6ft distance at all times. As we all know and have experienced, it is challenging to maintain 6ft of distance from others in absolutely all circumstances. Masks can help when physical distancing is difficult, such as at work, on the street or in stores. The role of a mask is primarily to prevent others from being exposed to you. It does this by reducing the spread of air droplets from your mouth to others and also makes it less likely that you will touch your face. For a helpful video about mask dos and don’ts, click here.
- Don’t touch your face when you are out. The virus enters and exits through the nose, mouth and eyes. For many, touching your face is hard to avoid. One strategy might be to get in the habit of assigning one hand as the ‘dirty hand’ and one hand as the ‘clean hand’. For most people who are right-handed, consider always using your left hand as a ‘dirty hand’ to touch all surfaces when you’re out, and keep your right hand clean at all times and available to touch your face when needed.
- Stay home if you are at risk of COVID19 and of transmitting it to others.
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- You are at increased risk:
- If you have any active or recent symptoms of COVID19, including fever, cough, sore throat, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of smell, loss of taste, chills, sweats, body aches or rash.
- If you have been in close contact with anyone sick (either suspected or confirmed to have COVID19) without proper protection.
- If you have been travelling outside of Canada recently.
- If you are participating in gatherings of more than 5 people regularly for work or any other activities. These activities are not advised at this time, but if you must do them, you are at higher risk and should be extra-vigilant in your interactions.
- If you are in one of the categories above and are at increased risk, here is some guidance on when you can return to ‘regular’ (COVID era) activity:
- If you have symptoms, get tested. If you have been tested, self-isolate until your results are back or until two days after your symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer.
- If you have travelled, Health Canada regulations states that you MUST quarantine for 14 days. If you have been anywhere in the US, you must be very strict about this. If you choose to get tested, do not go out until you have confirmation of a negative test and are completely asymptomatic for 14 days.
- If you are a contact of a case or have been in a workplace or gathering where there has been a case, you should get tested and/or isolate for a full 14 days. Do not go out until you have confirmation of a negative test and are completely asymptomatic for 48hrs.
- If you would like to get tested, find a testing site here
- You are at increased risk:
8. If you are at increased risk of severe COVID19 disease or death, take extra precautions to distance yourself from others. Known risk factors for include:
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- Age over 70
- Medical conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease and lung disease.
- Immunocompromised state such as active chemotherapy, biological agents or chronically weakened immune system