We’ve all received a fair bit of good news recently related to the COVID-19; we’re doing well as a country in flattening the curve, with more recoveries and fewer new cases day by day.
At the time of writing this (May 19), we’re seeing a total of 7,060 cases, 6,389 of which have fully recovered and are either staying at home recuperating, or are continuing their lives healthily, finally clear of the coronavirus.
What naturally followed was a 3-stage plan to recover and return to our normal day to day lives, to be done over a period of weeks depending on results and seeing if there will be a need to reinstate the quarantine.
Like most of us, we’re all probably thinking of going back to work, as our offices start to open up and plan to revitalize the economy and get the workforce back on track are underway.
This is a crucial time in recovery and like we always say (at the risk of sounding like a broken record), we all need to play our part by making sure we all take care of ourselves, and each other. By doing so, we’re flattening the curve and eventually removing the coronavirus from existence.
Now, if you’re clear for work and if you’re going back to gainful employment one of these days (or in the coming weeks) make sure to take care of yourself by following these precautions at home.
Driving
The roads will obviously be less cramped and there will be moments where you’ll be cruising through the streets while on the way to work - not everything’s back to normal, after all. It’s tempting to be a little lax while driving, and you’ll probably drift off while you’re out there on the road especially for long drives.
Some other reasons to be extra vigilant out there even if the roads are clear:
New rules might be implemented by the state when it comes to driving in light of the new normal brought about by COVID-19
New physical structures that might be set in place that breaks apart the familiar routes we once knew
More authorities on the road to man checkpoints, always vigilant in observance of road rules.
With all this in mind, it’s best to keep yourself honest during these times - we can all get easily distracted due to everything that’s been happening around us which may lead to problems out there on the road; and before you disagree, driver distraction is still one of the biggest causes of accidents every year.
It might not seem much, but here are some excellent precautions that you can take:
Get plenty of rest and eat healthily. A healthy body makes for a healthy mind, and when you’re well-rested and well-fed, you can focus better and make better decisions out there on the road. And when we’re all like that, you can bet that we’d all have a better time driving.
Get yourself a dash cam. A dash cam will record everything that you do on the road, whether it’s a dual dash cam, or just one that records inside looking out your car. When people are being watched, they make more deliberate decisions that’ll make them look good in front of the camera. Keep yourself honest with a dash cam that you can get here at Elinz.
Keep it cool. You’ll be sure to come across some motorists that aren’t quite at the same level of zen as you are out on the road, and they can be infuriating. But going on a road rage doesn’t help anybody. Be courteous and move on.
Keep your cool out there, and take your time while driving.
Make sure your vehicle is fine-tuned. Now that plenty of businesses are starting to open up again, make a quick trip to your local mechanic before work resumes. Alternatively, get an OBD2 diagnostic tool and find out if your vehicle is in top shape.
These steps should help you get to the office safe and sound without any issue.
In the workplace, we’re still going to have to do a bit of adjusting with everything that’s been going on. If you have the cold or the sniffles, make sure that you get tested out before going back to work; COVID-19 is highly contagious. You certainly don’t want to spread it at your workplace, don’t you?
So whether you’re working in an office, from a warehouse, or if you’re a field representative for your organization, you’ll need to take care of yourself and make sure that you’re not endangering other people by going back to work.
For general office safety, make sure you observe these following pointers:
If you have to sneeze or cough, make sure that you have a tissue ready. Cover your mouth with it and discard it immediately; if you don’t have one, sneeze or cough into your elbow. Alternatively, if you’re feeling a bit under the weather, if your throat is itchy or if your nose isn’t cooperating at all, just wear a mask.
Don't just sneeze into your hands - sneeze into your elbow or a tissue.
Surgical masks are perfect as they’re relatively inexpensive and provide the best protection outside of an actual respirator such as an N95 mask. We’d like to note though that the government doesn’t recommend wearing a mask for general use and we do agree; but if you are sick and you expect to come into contact with people, it helps in not only protecting you but other people. Consider doing so if you’re going back to work, especially if you consider that some cases are asymptomatic.
Wash your hands often. You’ll open doors, flush toilets, handle some papers, probably lift some packages and you will touch your seat or your table; COVID-19 lives on surfaces such as the ones mentioned above for hours, possibly even days. Take 20 seconds and clean every nook and cranny on your fingers and palms even up to your wrist, but make sure that you don’t touch your face while at work.
That’s it for today - tomorrow, we’ll explore more options with the 2nd part of this special guide for you as you go back to work and as we return to our normal lives over the course of the weeks.
