COVID-19 or the Coronavirus is now making its way into Delhi and India. COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China where it has killed close to 3,000 people. Many more are affected and are fighting the Coronavirus in the hospitals of China. Coronavirus has already spread to others parts of the world including Iran, Italy, South Korea and the USA. The Deputy Health Minister of Iran is also affected as are few other dignitaries.

As Coronavirus is now trying to enter India and Delhi, it is important that we take some basic steps to protect ourselves. As an individual, it becomes your responsibility to keep yourself safe and away from Coronavirus. If every person keeps her/himself safe from COVID-19, it will reduce the chances of further spreading of this disease. So the greater good in the fight against Coronavirus begins with every person making sure that she or he does not catch this virus.

Here are top ten ways how you can fight Coronavirus

1. Wash your hands properly and frequently

This is as basic as it gets. The first way to fight the Coronavirus is to make sure you remember and revise the good habits we learnt in school. The one that will help here the most is to remember to wash hands. Keeping our hands clean is the first way to fight Coronavirus as it will to wash away the virus if we have inadvertently touched a surface which is contaminated with Coronavirus. Wash your hands frequently and definitely before eating food.

2. Stop touching your face and mouth

Unless you are ready to wash your hand with soap each time you are about to touch your face or mouth, stop or avoid doing this altogether. It is normal to touch your face thousands of time every day. But if you are to keep yourself safe from Coronavirus, it is best to stop and avoid touching your face and mouth especially when outside.

3. Cover your mouth while sneezing

This is again a good habit from school that we need to remember and follow. When you cover your mouth while sneezing, you minimize the chances of passing the germs to those around you. While you may not have Coronavirus, you may have some other disease (e.g. common cold) that may be transmitted and affect someone around you. If this affected person has weak immunity, he will catch the common cold from you which will only maker her or him more prone to catching Coronavirus and spreading it to you.

4. Discard the tissue properly

Here is a good manner that you perhaps need to forget. Try to keep tissues with you for covering your mouth while sneezing or coughing. And after you are done, make sure you discard the tissue properly in a sanitary dustbin. Using handkerchief for this purpose may not be a very good idea in the present circumstances.

5. Avoid close contact with people

Coronavirus is presently known to spread from people to people contact. So it makes sense to avoid getting in close contact with people and to avoid crowded places altogether. It is time to also remind ourselves of our customs and traditions and greet people with a Namaste, Satsriakal or Aadab instead of a handshake.

6. Avoid eating non-vegetarian food

Coronavirus is believed to have been originated from an illegal wildlife market in Wuhan, China. While it will take some time to verify this result, what is known for sure is that viruses like the Coronavirus spread through animals and especially through mammals. The WHO has already issued an advisory that we should be careful while handling uncooked or raw meat. A better idea at the moment is to avoid eating meat altogether to protect ourselves from Coronavirus.

7. Keep minimal contact with animals

As shared in point 6 above, while researchers are still experimenting, there is a good chance that the Coronavirus finds its origin in animals. This could be any animal, even our pets. Pets anyways cannot be expected to maintain the same hygiene as required. It is therefore a good idea to keep minimal contact with animals and wash hands and body parts (with a bath) immediately after exposure to animals.

8. Avoid visiting places frequented by tourists

There are more than 70 countries as of today which are reporting cases of Coronavirus. Places frequented by tourists, especially airports and other transit points are therefore more prone and should be avoided as much as possible.

9. Wear face mask when outside

Yes, that same face mask you have had on to #beatairpollution will also help you fight Coronavirus. While face masks may feel uncomfortable to you, but they can be important barrier to protect you from the harmful Coronavirus. You can either use the N95 air pollution mask if you already have one or buy the simple surgical masks to keep yourself protected from Coronavirus.

10. Keep your immunity high

Coronavirus is known to affect those with weak immune system more. While this maybe true for most viral diseases, this fact needs to be kept in mind since Coronavirus is a fatal disease. It is important that you keep your immunity high. Exercise and also eat right.