Coronavirus – what can you do to stop/slow the spread

Coronavirus – as it seems to be spreading unchecked around the world here are some of the countermeasures that have worked in China that might help others

– Wearing masks, whilst the WHO and other authorities suggest wearing masks offers limited protection they have failed to see the full picture. The masks offer some protection for people who are not infected. What they also do is cover the mouth and nose of people who might be infected when they cough and sneeze. Asking people to cough and sneeze into your elbow or tissue is all well and good, and most people will try to do this, but making everyone wear masks is blanket coverage.
– Closing restaurants, coffee shops and other public places where people gather. This might seem like an extreme step, and one to be taken only if things start to get really bad but this reduces the risk of infections to non-related and harder to trace people. Can you reduce gatherings in the workplace, do you need that meeting and if so could it be done via video?
– Encouraging people to stay indoors. Basically, by doing this they encouraged the entire country to self-isolate for two weeks or more. Can you let people work from home for two/three weeks?
– Apps to trace where people are, where they have been and who they have been in contact with. These have not just been from the government but even individual companies have been using them. By getting everyone to fill in forms about their travel history they can flag up any potential carriers and get them tested asap.
– Antibacterial soap available everywhere
– Temperature checks everywhere. A temperature check on people when entering public buildings should be fairly easy to implement, especially as many already have bag checks in place. It should not be too difficult for companies and businesses to do either.
– You have to let people know that if they feel ill they should stay at home and call the relevant department or people (111 in the UK). Protect people who protect others, rather than punishing them by docking wages etc.
– Take a massive but limited short term hit to ensure long term prosperity. What China and the businesses here have done is seen that by implementing these measures however tough economically in the short term, it will be a lot less damaging long term.

Good luck.