# Use Your home As A Shelter To Product You And Others From The Coronavirus Outbreak

*About the author: a PhD who performs research in indoor air quality, ventilation, building environment and human building interaction. COVID-19 is a novel virus which has only been discovered for a couple of month. Knowledge about this virus is continously developing worldwide. The content in this article is up to what I know today, so please keep educating yourself contiuously with creditable sources*

## Why we need to stay at home?
Governments and health organizations are not able to effectively minimize the deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the economic impact of viral spread due to resource limitation, the chain reaction of each move and uncertainty of human behaviours. Keeping disease transmission as low as possible will be the highest priority for individuals. There has been a strict guideline in place issued by white house and CDC (3/16/2020).

Most importantly, we are not just hiding from the crisis. While we are staying at home, a more controllable situation will be created because of our actions. Avoiding gatherings of people will cut the transmission routes and reduce the chance of disease trasmission. If the number of new confirmed cases increases much slower, we can "flatten the curve", reduce the pressure of the healthcare system, and buy more time for developing vaccine and new treatments. The people who are in the incubation period (average 14 days) could be identified and protected. According to a simulation result published on the Lancet, practicing social distancing could contribute to the "green curve", a drop of infectious cases. That is the direction that we are going.

## How does the virus transmit when you are at home
First of all, we need to know how the virus travels from one peron to another. Once infected with COVID-19, viral particles accumulate in the lungs and upper respiratory tract. Droplets and aerosolized viral particles are expelled from the body through daily activities such as coughing, sneezing, talking, and vomiting, and can spread to nearby surroundings and individuals; Viral particles, excreted from the mouth and nose, are often found on the hands and can be spread to commonly touched items such as computers, glasses, faucets, and countertops. If you have touched the contanminated surface with your hands, well, normal human will touch their face by hands average 23 times per hour, including rubbing eyes, nose, and ears.
Figure: The droplets and particles in a sneeze under highspeed camera.

Figure: Conceptual illustration of the spread of virual particles

Generally speaking, if you and your roomates, partners, families are not infected by COVID-19, you are very safe behind the wall. Unless you know that there are several confirmed cases in your buildings, and they happened to walk by your door while coughing, and your room is under slightly negative air pressure... It is already an extremely odor, even the virus aerosol does enters your home, you can still open your window and dilute the "cloud" very fast. If you are worried about your central air conditioning system, ask your building managers about your concerns. Make sure you mentioned thea of fresh air intake.

## New routines when you are at home.
Actualy, before we talk about home, the first question for all of us: Must I have a surgical mask or higher rating mask?
I am fully aware that many authorities have already said masks are not necessary for healthy people, but how can you rule out the chance of asymptomatic transmission? After knowing the tramission mechaisnm, I would advise you to wear one and follow the right procedures, if:
1. You don't feel very well.
2. you anticipate that you will be staying in a enclosed space with others.
3. You don't want to pay any attention to keep certain distance from others.
4. you just cannot stop touching your face with your hands, like me...

**Now, let's see what we should know about your home to stay healthy before we achieve the green curve.**

### Enter your home
1. take off your shoes and leave them at the entrance
2. take off your hat and gloves if applicable
3. wash your hand for the first time
4. take off your glasses and wipe it with disinfecting wipes, Oh right, good timing to wipe your phone as well (if applicable)
5. take off your mask and put it at a desingated location (easy to disinfect)
6. wash your hand thoroughly for the second time
7. wash your face with your eyes closed
8. If you have been out for a long time, please wash your hairs as well

### Maintain a good home environment
1. ventilate your home as much as possible.If you suspect your room is contaminated, bring in outdoor air; If you simply feel stufy after staying home for a long time , bring in outdoor air; If you don't feel very well and worry about the others in the room, call 911 and bring in outdoor air!
2. comfortable level of humidity (40%-60%) can help reduce the distance of transmssion. Winter is usually very dry, so considering adding some humidity to your room is not a bad idea. eg., using humidifier, hanging a wet towl close to you, or simply open the windows because home is often drier than outdoor.
##3 Get out of your home
It is definitey fine to run some errands, walk your dogs and buy essentials.
1. keep at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from the others, people will apperiate at the time.
2. Pay extra attention to avoid hand-face contact. It is so natural for human and takes energy to resist.
3. when you need to talk to someone, stand at least 1 meter away and avoid body contact like shaking hands
### Essential shopping
1. Don'touch your face before washing hands, it is so important. I have observed an immature avocado being squeezed by several people and left there in a grocery store. You never know what you are touching!
2. COVID-19 can survive on physical surfaces for hours. It is inevitable for you to touch door knobs, elevator buttons, handrails, and clothes, you still can, just try the best to resist touch our itchy faces.
3. The food you bought will be either washed or cooked. You can wipe the surface of other stuffs if you need to use it immediatelly.
4. You don't need to worry about the packages or delivered food. Again, throw away the package and wash your hand before using.
### Transportation
There is increasing amount of research evidance showing aerosolized COVID-19 could exist in the air for hours. Don't freak out now but I advise you to avoid enclosed space with others like subway, cruise, bus, taxi, and rooms without ventilation. If you have to, please wear certified face mask to protect you and the others.

Verdict

# Did not find the answer to your questions?
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***I know your are panicking and upset for the current situation.***
President Trump just announced national emergency on March 13th. If you are seeking for the updated news about the coronavirus, you must know that Tri-state governors are discussing the possibility to set up the guideline for curfew based on the report from [the Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-new-jersey-and-connecticut-close-bars-set-up-curfew-guidelines-11584374627). Lots of companies, including some big names Google, Amazon etc. have already send their employees back to home and allowed them working remotely. People are spending even more time indoors. While adapting to the new lifestyle, they are things we would better know.