Consider yourself as potentially infectious until your quarantine period has ended. Please follow the advice below to help protect your family and those around you and do your part in fighting the spread of COVID-19.
You should quarantine yourself at home.
Don’t go to work, avoid unnecessary travel, and avoid close interactions with other people as far as possible.
You should clean your hands with soap and water frequently. Alcohol-based sanitizers may also be used, provided they contain at least 70% alcohol.
Do not have visitors in your home. Only those who live in your home should be allowed to stay. If it is urgent to speak to someone who is not a member of your household, do this over the phone.
You should wear a face mask when in the same room (or vehicle) as other people.
At home, you should stay in a specific room and use your own bathroom (if possible). If you live in shared accommodation (university halls of residence or similar) with a communal kitchen, bathroom(s) and living area, you should stay in your room with the door closed, only coming out when necessary, wearing a face mask if one has been issued to you.
You should practice good cough and sneeze hygiene by coughing or sneezing into a tissue, discarding the tissue immediately afterwards in a lined trash can, and then washing your hands immediately.
Wash all laundry at the highest temperature compatible for the fabric using laundry detergent. This should be above 60°C. If possible, tumble dry and iron using the highest setting compatible with the fabric.
Wear disposable gloves and a plastic apron when handling soiled materials, if possible, and clean all surfaces, as well as the area around the washing machine. Do not take laundry to a launderette. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling dirty laundry (remove gloves first, if used).
You should avoid sharing household items like dishes, cups, eating utensils and towels. After using any of these, the items should be thoroughly washed with soap and water.
All high-touch surfaces like table-tops, counters, toilets, phones, computers, etc., that you may have touched, should be appropriately and frequently cleaned.
Regular household soap or detergent should be used for cleaning first and then, after rinsing, regular household disinfectant containing 0.5% sodium hypochlorite (that is, equivalent to 5000 ppm or 1-part household bleach with 5% sodium hypochlorite to 9 parts water) should be applied according to the surface type. Protective equipment should be worn while cleaning, including a mask, goggles, a fluid-resistant apron and gloves. Hand hygiene with an alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water should be performed after removing the protective equipment.
Monitor your symptoms - seek prompt medical attention from your doctor if you develop cough, fever, sore throat, shortness-of-breath or any other flu-like symptoms. If you are unsure whether your symptoms may be related to COVID-19, rather check with your doctor.
If it is an emergency and you need to call an ambulance, inform the operator that you have been in quarantine and have now developed symptoms so that the emergency team can be appropriately prepared for treating you.
Important contact numbers
Private ambulance services:
Please note that this document serves only as a quick reference guide for useful tips when under home quarantine. For additional questions or other potential measures, patients are advised to speak to their healthcare provider or consult references such as the World Health Organization.
Credit and references
- Adapted from Clinical management of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 disease, Version 1.1 – 13th March 2020
- Water, sanitation, hygiene and waste management for the COVID-19 virus, WHO Technical brief, 3 March 2020
The content in this article is presented for information purposes only and nothing contained in this article is intended to be instructional for medical diagnosis or treatment.
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