The chances of getting the Corona virus by being outdoors whether it is at work, shopping, school or meeting friends is very high. To overcome people going out the Government of Sri Lanka has put the whole country on curfew indefinitely. Sri Lanka is not the only country, places like Italy, Spain and France are some of the countries where the Government have taken steps to lock down the country or have instructed people to stay at home.

No matter what, we as citizens of this beautiful country have an obligation and owe everyone to try our best not to make this pandemic even worse. Here are few reasons to stay indoors.

• Causing others harm

The Covid-19 is a relatively new disease and researches are still finding out how it spreads, one of the main ways it seems to spread is through person to person. When an infected person sneezes theses droplet from the mouth or nose can land on a person nearby and such person can inhale those droplets through their nose and into the lungs. Another way it spreads is through contact to different surfaces like door handles, public transport, etc. So, stay indoors.

• Connect with family

Time with family is a very important in a time of pandemic. Going out during this time will cause stress on your family as you can get infected and spread the virus to them or get infected and cause them a great deal of stress and sorrow as they have feel the pain when you are in hospital and they are unable to speak or see you until fully recovered. So, stay with your family to keep them and yourself safe. If you are living alone check up with your family regularly but do not visit them.

• Medical uncertainty

As mentioned above Covid-19 is a new disease and can take up to a year or more for doctors and medical professionals to come up with a vaccine. The corona virus is a deadly respiratory infection and no cure has yet been found and doctors can only treat for the symptoms of the disease. For example patients have been given treatment to ease their breathing difficulties. 

• Overcrowded hospitals

Most hospitals have limited number of beds, staff and medical supplies. In the case the curve does not get flat and continues to grow the hospitals can get over crowded, people who are infected may not be able to get treatment as hospital staff are overwhelmed, as there are too many patients’ and medical supplies will run out. People who needs to be treated for injuries, pregnancies or even other minor infections will be overlooked.

• Limits on test kits

Countries affected with the Corona virus have got their test kits, the issue is the quantity. The test kits have only begun to be manufactured during the crisis, which begs the question will we run out of test kits, testing for the Corona virus isn’t cheap and has to be kept for people who have a higher chance of getting it. The test kit is not like a horoscope reading or web MD where you just type in your symptoms on the internet and get a feedback, so please get yourself tested if you are 100% sure you have it. 

• Cleanliness of outside surfaces

Many people for example touch the same door handle of a super market or a railing of a bus, if an infected person has touched any surface then, these germs will sit on the surface for about 2 to 3 days. These germs then will transfer to the many people who use the public transport or go to super markets. Most of the public travel are not cleaned very often and have a higher chance of spreading the disease.

If going out is essential like for grocery shopping remember as Baloo the bear from Jungle puts it just go out for the “bare necessities”. When you get back home remember to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds’, throw your clothes into the washing machine and take a shower.

I hope everyone follows the Government orders and stays safe.

By Kaizer Majid | Email: maaskaizer@gmail.com