The novel coronavirus infection outbreak was declared pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11th March as it continues spreading its claws to nearly 160 countries. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases reached 2,52,776 as on 20th March 2020. Further, the total number of positive coronavirus cases in India has reached 223 with 50 new cases on 20th March.

The increasingly growing number of confirmed cases in India has become a significant reason of worry for the general population as well as the Indian government. Furthermore, it takes 2 to 14 days for a human body to show the symptoms of the pandemic disease. Consequently, by the time one is tested positive, there are chances that they may have infected other individuals or contaminated things.

Since the COVID-19 virus is highly contagious, you need to adopt good sanitary habits to prevent the infection from spreading or to break the chain.

Transmission of Coronavirus Infection

COVID-19 can be transmitted in two ways –

Person-to-person through respiratory droplets or aerosols.
Touching a contaminated surface.

The virus can be spread through respiratory droplets produced when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. In such cases, if an individual is in close contact with the infected person.

As a result, adopting good sanitary habits is the need of the hour to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection. As a pre-emptive measure, the Indian government has already declared the closure of schools so that children can stay put at their homes safely. However, that isn’t enough to protect them from the pandemic disease.

To battle the coronavirus disease, you need to teach your children proper sanitary etiquettes so that they can keep themselves protected even when you are occupied.

Good Sanitary Habits to Adopt

Clean hands

Most germs are spread through hands, and we often find our kids suffering from flu and other ailments for this reason. And while common cold or flu can be easily cured, the novel coronavirus infection isn’t a similar case. You need to keep your children safe from this lethal disease, and the first step is to teach them good sanitisation habits.

Cleaning hands is a primary step that people should adhere to so that they can prevent the spread of SARS-CoV 2. Teach your kids to clean their hands frequently. One can wash hands using soap, hand wash, or an alcohol-based sanitizer. When using soap and water, ask them to rinse their hands properly for at least 20 seconds for effective results.

Cover mouth while coughing or sneezing

Cough is one of the primary symptoms of coronavirus infection; which is why you need to be extremely cautious around people who are coughing or sneezing. Likewise, teach your kids to do the same. In case they have a cough or sneeze, they must cover their mouth using tissue and dispose of the same immediately. If a tissue is not available, ask them to sneeze or cough by covering their nose & mouth with a bent or flexed elbow. Practising these sanitary habits will not only keep your child safe but others around as well.

Clean frequently used surfaces

Germs and viruses can be transferred from contaminated surfaces as well. Hence, you should keep your house clean and disinfect the frequently used surfaces more often like doorknobs and door handles, refrigerator handle, switchboards, mobile phones, laptop, etc.

Don’t touch nose, mouth, or eyes with unwashed hands

Coronavirus being declared a pandemic is an easily transmitted disease, and hence you must adhere to these steps. It is advised that you shouldn’t touch your eyes, mouth, or nose with unwashed hands as your hands might carry a virus. In case the virus enters your respiratory system, the results could be catastrophic. To avoid this, you should avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes frequently, especially when they are unwashed. Keep a sanitizer handy in such a case.

Don’t shake hands or come in close contact with individuals showing symptom

It is in your best interest to not shake hands or come in close contact with anyone showing probable symptoms. The coronavirus infection can be easily transmitted if you are in close contact with the infected individual. Hence, maintain a gap of 6 feet from individuals having a cough or sneezes.

Personal hygiene habits

Teach your kid the essence of personal hygiene and healthy habits like brushing their teeth daily, taking a bath, wearing fresh and clean clothes, etc. These sanitary habits will help fight the coronavirus infection and keep your child protected.

Moreover, it is essential to talk about the novel coronavirus disease to your children so that they don’t have misinformation about the disease. It will keep them informed about the right things and help prevent any panic.

Further, to fight against the novel COVID-19 pandemic disease, you need to take some precautionary measures apart from the essential sanitary habits.

Have a look at the preventive measures you and your child must take!

Precautions to Be Taken

Avoid unnecessary travel

Since the pandemic disease COVID-19 is spread all across the world, you must avoid travelling in this situation. Government of India has suggested avoiding unessential travel, and thorough medical checks are done at the airport to prevent the spread of this disease. Therefore, make sure not to travel unless it is too essential.

Self-quarantine

Keeping the increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases in consideration, you need to make sure you practise self-quarantine. Containing yourselves at home can be the best way to stop such a deadly epidemic outbreak. To support this thought and address the dire situation, PM Shri Narendra Modi has announced a public curfew on Sunday, 22nd March in India.

Practise social distancing

Since coronavirus infection is a contagious disease, maintaining distance can help prevent the spread of the virus. You need to understand the necessity of social distancing at this hour and practise it for yours and your kids’ safety.

Further, as a coronavirus prevention measure, the Indian government has declared schools will remain closed till 31st March 2020. This date can be extended based on the situation.

This measure, although necessary, might be worrisome as kids risk missing out on studies. The temporary shutdown of schools and other educational institutes like coaching centres can deter their academic progress.

To allay your worries help your kids in their education, Vedantu has extended their online live classes services to students of all classes. And in our pursuit to provide quality education to everyone, we have made it free to register for our masterclasses. You can enrol your kids in our live classes through the website or via downloading the app.

In both cases, you will have access to our scheduled live classes. Furthermore, they don’t have to worry about lagging as they can access our vast library of study materials anytime from the comfort of their home.

Moreover, enrolling for doubt-clearing classes and self-assessment tests can improve their learning experience. Now, help your child utilise the free time and learn the complex topics effortlessly by taking classes with our experienced teachers.

Helping your child in utilising their time productively is an added responsibility that you need to bear to ensure your kids’ overall development. Meanwhile, you should be wary of the coronavirus symptoms so that you can seek the necessary medical attention should the need arise.

Coronavirus Infection Symptoms

Few of the most common symptoms which are seen in infected individuals are

Cough
Fever
Fatigue

Apart from this, few patients have also witnessed these symptoms as mentioned below

Runny nose
Sore throat
Diarrhoea
Shortness of breath
Aches and pains

Further, coronavirus infection can cause severe pneumonia or organ failure in some cases. Hence, it becomes vital to stay protected from such a pandemic disease. Knowing these symptoms will help you keep your child protected from anyone showing the slightest of symptoms.

Hence, during this coronavirus scare situation, it is essential to adhere to good sanitary habits and teach your children the same. Also, help them learn new concepts, practise questions, assess themselves, read newspapers, adopt a hobby or interest and stay engaged during the pandemic situation. Vedantu supports these efforts you make as a parent and provides further assistance with the free live classes. Now keep your child's preparation undeterred with our study material and CBSE NCERT Solutions Class 1 to 12 all subjects available on Vedantu site.

Now, beat the coronavirus pandemic with us to help your kids excel in their academics!

How to Develop Good Sanitary Habits in Your Kids to Fight Against COVID-19?