As the Medical Director of the Kansas Business Group on Health I’m sometimes asked to weigh in on topics that might affect employers or employees. This is a reprint of a blog post from KBGH. Beware that this post was originally written on March 12, 2020, so some of the recommendations have changed. For example, stay away from your gym, if it’s even still open:
Do: Wash your hands as often as you think of it. Soap and water is best, but alcohol-based hand sanitizer is okay, too. Don’t forget to wash your hand towels as well.
Don’t: Buy facemasks. Those are needed by sick people and medical professionals.
Do: Cover your coughs and sneezes. Use the vampire method.
Don’t: Spit on the sidewalk.
Do: Work from home if you can. Microsoft, Zoom, Google, and others are now offering free work-from-home software.
Don’t: Work from your Starbuck’s “home.”
Do: Go somewhere isolated by yourself or with your immediate household members if you need a vacation.
Don’t: Go on a cruise or get on an airplane.
Do: Wipe down surfaces, knobs, and pulls with a surface cleaner or a dilute bleach solution. Don’t forget to clean your phone and your keyboard.
Don’t: Hoard alcohol cleanser or wipes.
Do: Greet your neighbors and friends in these uncertain times.
Don’t: Shake their hands.
Do: Consider salary advances or other monies to help your employees over childcare and other costs if quarantines go into effect.
Don’t: Just tell employees to “go home.”
Do: Get exercise.
Don’t: Go to the gym during peak hours.
Do: Postpone weddings, parties, and other social gatherings.
Don’t: Succumb to social pressure to hold or attend events that seem risky.
Do: Isolate yourself if you get sick.
Don’t: Allow a couple weeks of social distancing to turn into social isolation.
Do: Watch out for symptoms of a cough or cold.
Don’t: Neglect your other health issues, like hypertension, diabetes, or, especially, heart and lung disease.
Do: Pay attention to reputable sources of news on COVID-19. The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, Seattle Times, Miami Herald, Toronto Star, Stat, Dallas Morning News, Medium, New York Times, The Guardian, and several medical journals like JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine have dropped their paywalls for coronavirus related coverage.
Don’t: Panic. Let’s flatten the curve.