How to teach Your kids about Covid safety measures..

Covid-19 Safety Measures for Kids 

Even though the lockdown restrictions throughout the country have been eased considerably, the COVID-19 threat still exists, and the danger from the pandemic is far from over. Medical services are also limping back to normalcy but not before delays in surgeries because of the fear of infection have claimed many lives. With healthcare warriors battling the pandemic constantly and signs of a vaccine in the horizon, the worst appears to be over.

But it is important not to let your guard down at this crucial juncture and adhere to all the safety measures before and after a hospital visit. Here are essential safety measures before hospital visits. The most important precaution that you must take is to maintain social distancing keeping everyone’s safety in mind, including yours.
Follow the guidelines issued by governing bodies and hospital authorities, and make sure that you seek medical aid on time.

Visit your doctor when needed, and remember that delaying treatment may aggravate the problem. Keeping these simple things in mind before visiting a hospital ensures that you are at little or no risk whatsoever.

Some of the hospitals are exclusively dealing with coronavirus cases. Identify first whether it is a COVID-19 or a non-COVID-19 hospital and plan accordingly. Ensure that you take an appointment with your doctor to avoid queues. A telephonic or online appointment is advisable than a physical one. While being masked is a must, carry an
alcohol-based sanitizer, gloves and wet wipes. Do not wear a mask with valves. Opt for a three-ply homemade or store-bought mask instead. Cloth masks must be disposed after a hospital visit.

Drinking water must be carried from home. It is always advisable to
travel to the hospital in your personal vehicle if possible or pre-book
a cab if you can’t. Hands must be sanitized on touching any surface
and touching the face, eyes or mouth has to be avoided when
outdoors. Remember that soap and water is still the best option and
so, wash your hands before leaving home and immediately after
returning even though you’ve used a sanitizer. The 20 second rule
works best for washing hands.

Try and go cashless while making any sort of payment. Paper money
might be risky in terms of virus contamination and digital
transactions are a sensible option.
After reaching home from the hospital, remove your shoes outside
the house at the door. Dispose of your mask and disinfect any
baggage you might be carrying and any surfaces you have touched
upon reaching home. Remove all clothes immediately, adding them
to warm water with detergent to be washed. Have a bath with
lukewarm water using soap. Scrub well.

Important questions to ask your doctor:

 Consult the doctor about the hygiene practices followed by you at home and if you have missed anything out.
 When taking a follow-up appointment, see if there is an option for a telephonic/video consultation over a physical consultation at the hospital.
 Share any queries no matter how insignificant with your doctor.

Special care must be taken to protect children and senior citizens
from the ill-effects of the pandemic as they are the most vulnerable.
Senior citizens are experiencing their second childhood after all.
Wearing a mask is mandatory and one must ensure that children do
the same when outdoors. Also, children have to wear their masks
safely and correctly. However, some children might find a store mask
challenging to wear and in this case, look for other alternatives to
ensure that the child is protected. Teach children about social
distancing and to cover the mouth with a tissue while coughing or
sneezing as the elbow rule is difficult for a child to grasp sometimes.
Do not neglect or ignore your child’s vaccinations for fear of the
pandemic. Keep him/her protected by safety measures keeping in
mind that vaccines are integral for your child’s health. Although we
still do not have a vaccine for protection against COVID-19 but
vaccines for illnesses like measles, flu (influenza), whooping cough
(pertussis), and other diseases help build immunity apart from the
protection angle and can keep COVID-19 at bay.

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tips on COVID-19 safety measures before hospital visits? Do share
with us as we’d love to hear from you! Together, we can make the
difference!