People often ask if someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 can be cared for at home. Yes, but a health worker will assess risk factors along with the person’s symptoms, medical history and the family’s ability to manage the care. Household members must limit shared spaces, practise the recom- mended hygiene and know how to recognise and respond to signs of worsening health.
What should be done to prevent other people in the house from becoming sick if a person with Covid-19 is being cared for at home?
*The ill person should stay in a separate room. If this is not possible, then keep at least a one-metre distance from them.
The sick person and anyone else in the same room should wear a medical mask. Provide good ventilation in the room of the ill person and shared spaces, and open windows if possible and safe to do so.
* The ill person should wear a medical mask as much as possible, in particular when not alone in the room and when at least a one-metre distance from others cannot be maintained. Visitors should not be allowed in the home. Limit the number of caregivers to one person with no underlying con- ditions, if possible.
* Caregivers and household members should wear a medical mask while in the same room with an ill person, not touch their mask or face during use, discard the mask after leaving the room, and wash their hands afterwards.
* The ill person should have dedi- cated dishes, cups, eating utensils, towels and bed linen. They should be washed with soap and water, and not shared.
* Surfaces that are frequently touched by the ill person should be cleaned and disinfected at least daily.
* Everyone in the household should wash their hands with soap and water regularly, especially after coughing or sneezing before during and after you prepare food, before eating, after using the toilet, before and after caring for the ill person and when hands are visibly dirty.
* A cough or sneeze should be covered with a flexed elbow or a dis- posable tissue that is discarded immediately after use.
* The waste from the ill person should be packed in strong closed bags before disposal.
* Cut masks and gloves which you dispose of, especially when you are sick, to prevent people from taking them out of your garbage bag.
How long should people with Covid-19 stay at home and in isolation?
People with Covid-19 who are cared for at home should stay in isolation until they are no longer able to transmit the virus to others: Those with symptoms should stay isolated for a minimum of 10 days after the first day they developed symptoms, plus another three days after the end of symptoms – when they are without fever or respiratory symptoms. People without symptoms should stay isolated for a minimum of 10 days after testing positive. Contact and the spread of the virus: The spread of Covid-19 occurs most often when an infected person is in close or direct contact with another person.
The risk of the spread of the virus is higher in crowded and poorly ventilated spaces where people spend long periods close together. Improving indoor ventilation could reduce the risk of the virus spreading indoors.
Stigma
Covid-19 has affected many people within our communities. Unfortunately, stigmatisation is common in disease outbreaks. Stigma occurs when people associate risk with specific people, places, or things. Public health emergencies, like the outbreak of Covid-19, are stressful times for people and communities. Fear and anxiety about the disease could lead to social stigma. Stigma hurts everyone and may create fear or anger towards other people.
Stigma can also occur after a person has been released from Covid-19 quarantine, even though they are not considered a risk for spreading the virus to others. People who are or were affected did not do anything wrong, they deserve support, compassion and kindness at all times. Be empathetic to all those who are affected or have recovered. After recovering from Covid-19, they must be able to go on with their jobs, families and loved ones.
* Most importantly, one should not let the fear of stigma be the reason for you not being tested, if you suspect that you might have the virus. By doing this, you could be the reason that someone else gets seriously sick or dies. What you should remember
* You cannot move around in public while waiting for your test results.
* Be honest to others at all times when you know you have tested positive or are awaiting your results. * Be honest when you give the details of those you had contact with when tested positive. They must be traced to stop the spread of the virus.
* When you have tested positive, you cannot allow your housekeeper or gardener to come to work. If they have had close contact with you, they have to isolate for at least 10 days, even though this might have financial implications for them.
Make sure they understand the consequences and, if you know other employees they might have had contact with, you must inform them. Because of the financial implications for employees dependant on the income, try and compensate them for the time they are not able to work if at all possible for you, rather than take the risk of spreading the virus to someone else.
