COVID-19: Tracy's Guide for Families

Question: During the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to avoid crowds. But what if I want to buy something or eat outside? 💁 Tracy:  If you can rely on a good internet, you can shop or dine without going out.  Here are some examples of online shopping (we are not endorsing or recommending these merchandises, but just using them as examples for the explanation. Detailed charges and services vary during the pandemics. Please check each vendor for specific charges and delivery details). Please refer to our article “3: Disinfecting Takeout and Deliveries” https://tracysguide.blogspot.com/2020/04/3-disinfecting-takeout-and-deliveries.html on how to disinfect these items when they arrive at your home. Choose businesses with good reputations. Some popular online grocery shopping merchants are: Amazon Fresh, Costco, Whole Food, etc. Pay attention to whether there is a membership fee or a Prime fee. Shipping cost may be increased if you do not have a premium account. Self-pickup se...

Q: What is fecal-oral transmission? 💁 Tracy: Fecal-oral transmission results from the digestive tract containing large amounts of pathogens (such as virus). After excretion of fecal matter, due to feces directly contaminating food, or feces contaminating hands and indirectly contaminating food, pathogens enter the body through the digestive system, resulting in infection. Q: Why is it important to pay attention to fecal-oral transmission? 💁 Tracy: COVID-19 nucleic acids have been detected in the fecal matter of patients, so if there are confirmed/suspected cases or people who are in close contact with patients (including healthcare workers and volunteers) at your home, you should pay attention to preventing fecal-oral transmission routes. Q: How do you prevent fecal-oral transmission? 💁 Tracy: A: Bathrooms Those in close contact with patients as well as those isolating at home, please use the bathroom separately from other members of the household (refer to bathroom ...

Q: How should I disinfect food or grocery? 💁 Tracy: Food in supermarkets may get infected with droplets or via touching by people carrying the virus. But don’t panic, you can enjoy the food as long as the food is disinfected. Please pay attention to and follow the recommendations below: Wash your hands thoroughly before and after preparing food. Please do not use the same knives and chopping boards for cooked and raw food, especially for raw meat and fish. Knives and cutting boards need to be washed after each use and disinfected with bleach frequently. Cook and/or heat food thoroughly. Do not eat raw meat, eggs, and milk, for example, sashimi, half-cooked steak, etc. If you are not sure about milk, boil the milk before consuming it. Wear gloves if needed to handle food packaging and containers coming back from supermarkets, including paper bags, plastic bags, plastic food wrappers, and fast-food boxes. Disinfect food containers before opening them. Heat take-o...

Q: How can I clean and disinfect kitchen? 💁 Tracy:  Cleaning You must choose a kitchenware cleaner to clean dishes, cups or cutting boards. Glass cleaners, metal cleaners, and most bathroom cleaners are not suitable for cleaning the kitchen. If you use dish detergent, dilute it with a small amount of water for better results. Some scrubbing agents also have a disinfecting function. After applying degreasing or scrubbing agents, wait for 5-10 minutes before cleaning. Disinfection Physical Disinfection: High temperature: Steaming and boiling water disinfection is simple and effective. You can put kitchenware in boiling water for 1 minute. Alternatively, you can use a disinfection cabinet and follow the manual instruction. 254nm UVC household ultraviolet lamp: The required irradiation time is determined by the power of the lamp and other parameters. Please follow the user’s manual to select appropriate radiation time. Please note: Do not enter the room during ...

Q: What should I do to disinfect clothes? 💁 Tracy:  Take off outer clothes upon returning home. Spray disinfectants around collars, elbow, cuffs, and other areas that are frequently soiled. If there are no other clear contaminated areas, dry in a well-ventilated place, such as outdoors in the Sun. For frequently soiled items, such as clothes, hand or face towels, and bed sheets, soak at high temperatures (above 133℉) for at least 30 minutes or with disinfectant bleach (for white-colored cloth only), then wash with detergent.  For machine wash, set at the highest temperature possible and wash with detergent. If you have to use shared washers, please wear gloves and clean the surface of the washer first and then add disinfectant before washing. If disinfectant is unavailable, please set wash mode to hot water and use detergent. If potential contaminants are found on clothes or beddings, such as blood, fecal matter, or other excretion and bodily flui...

Q: I’m about to leave on a business trip. Is it safe to live in a hotel and what should I pay attention to? 💁 Tracy: Hotels are definitely not as safe as living at home. However, if you don’t have any other choice, please do your best to protect yourself. Before your travel, Gauge how you are feeling. If you have a fever, dry cough, fatigue, or other flu/cold-like symptoms, self-quarantine at home for at least 14 days Call hotel ahead of time, ask for a room that has not been lived by other guests by about 3 days or longer if possible Prepare disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, bring a small bottle of alcohol and bleach, any other disinfectant, gloves. In addition, remember to bring your own masks, goggles, faceshields, PPEs, towel, pillow cover, toothbrush, and any other toiletries you may need.  Please consider these recommendations for long-distance travel from this guide. When you get to the hotel, please consider these steps: Change your cloth immediately after ...

Q: I still need to use public transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Is this risky and how can I stay safe? 💁 Tracy: In crowded places with less air circulation, your risk of exposure to COVID-19 increases. If you absolutely must use public transportation, here are some tips to minimize your risk of getting infected: ➤Minimize time spent in contact with other people. If you absolutely must use public transportation, try to minimize the time you spend in contact with other people by planning your travel outside of normal rush hours. Try to avoid rush hours when you travel.  Plan your travel well. If you have multiple destinations along the same path, do not go back and forth. Instead, try to schedule events to minimize travel time. Choose vehicles or cart that are less crowded.  When paying for transportation, try to use credit cards and self-checkout to minimize interaction with other people. ➤ Minimize exposure during travel. On bu...