my school gave a homework to write at lest 20 points how to stay safe at home and outside the house from covid19
Answers
Preventive measures to reduce the chances of infection include staying at home, avoiding crowded places, keeping distance from others, washing hands with soap and water often and for at least 20 seconds, practising good respiratory hygiene, and avoiding touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.[124][125][126] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and recommends using the inside of the elbow if no tissue is available.[124] Proper hand hygiene after any cough or sneeze is encouraged.[124] The CDC has recommended cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, in part to limit transmission by asymptomatic individuals.[26] The U.S. National Institutes of Health guidelines do not recommend any medication for prevention of COVID‑19, before or after exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, outside the setting of a clinical trial.[127]
Social distancing strategies aim to reduce contact of infected persons with large groups by closing schools and workplaces, restricting travel, and cancelling large public gatherings.[128] Distancing guidelines also include that people stay at least 6 feet (1.8 m) apart.[129] There is no medication known to be effective at preventing COVID‑19.[130] After the implementation of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, many regions have been able to sustain an effective transmission rate ("Rt") of less than one, meaning the disease is in remission in those areas.[131]
As a COVID-19 vaccine is not expected until 2021 at the earliest,[132] a key part of managing COVID‑19 is trying to decrease and delay the epidemic peak, known as "flattening the curve".[120] This is done by slowing the infection rate to decrease the risk of health services being overwhelmed, allowing for better treatment of current cases, and delaying additional cases until effective treatments or a vaccine become available.[120][123]
Several countries have recommended that healthy individuals wear face masks or cloth face coverings (like scarves or bandanas) at least in certain public settings, including China,[133] Hong Kong,[134] Spain,[135] Italy,[136] Russia,[137] and the United States.[26] This recommendation is meant to reduce the spread of the disease by asymptomatic and pre-symtomatic individuals and is a complementary measure to established preventive measures such as social distancing.[26][138] Face coverings minimise the excretion of respiratory droplets by infected individuals while breathing, talking and coughing.[26][138] Non-medical cloth face coverings such as a scarf or a bandana are recommended for the general public in places where social distancing is difficult to maintain.[26][138] Medical grade facemasks such as N95 masks should be reserved and prioritised for healthcare workers and first responders.[26][29][138]
Those diagnosed with COVID‑19 or who believe they may be infected are advised by the CDC to stay home except to get medical care, call ahead before visiting a healthcare provider, wear a face mask before entering the healthcare provider's office and when in any room or vehicle with another person, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, regularly wash hands with soap and water and avoid sharing personal household items.[28][139] The CDC also recommends that individuals wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the toilet or when hands are visibly dirty, before eating and after blowing one's nose, coughing or sneezing. It further recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol, but only when soap and water are not readily available.[124]
For areas where commercial hand sanitisers are not readily available, the WHO provides two formulations for local production. In these formulations, the antimicrobial activity arises from ethanol or isopropanol. Hydrogen peroxide is used to help eliminate bacterial spores in the alcohol; it is "not an active substance for hand antisepsis". Glycerol is added as a humectant.[140]