COVID-19 or Coronavirus, the viral disease that hit China on 31st December 2019, has now turned into a global pandemic. More than 195 countries are affected by this pandemic, with the USA, Italy, and Iran worst hit after China. China is now reporting no local transmissions, thankfully. But the western world is facing the worst crisis ever. Even in India, the cases have surged past 700, and the death toll has risen to 10. People’s life, their career, the economy of the country are all hit. Yet some people are not taking this pandemic seriously. Most countries have a lockdown, people are working from home and only allowed to leave to buy essential things like groceries or medical prescriptions. Still, a lot of people are breaking the lockdown rule and going to meet friends or roaming around the city. Thus, it is becoming important to aware people of this pandemic, and why social distancing is important. Here are some effective ways to do that. You can take help from the information provided by WHO, and create an image explaining how to properly clean your hands using soap. Also, list how and when to use sanitizer, and share this image on your social media channels. Use Canva to create a visually appealing image so more people can learn from it and share it. If your house-help is not comfortable with social-distancing as it affects her income, explain it to her. Aware her why staying six-feet away from a person, especially who has symptoms is important. Also, let her know that staying at home means that there is a chance of breaking the transmission change and beat the virus. Your elder relatives might believe a lot of fake news doing the rounds on WhatsApp or on the internet. Help them get the real news by creating a WhatsApp group and sharing only legitimate news with them. It can help them keep themselves safe from this virus, and not panic. If you know someone from the health department who can help you provide the facts to remain cautious, ask them for that information. Use that to create a video that you can upload on YouTube or share on your social media. It will help people understand what they can do or cannot do. A lot of people are feeling nervous and anxious right now, and thus are panic buying leaving nothing for others. You must communicate with them through phone or social media and ask them to stop panic buying. Every country is keeping essential services open, so they don’t have to stock up so much that there is nothing for others. Help them understand that buying groceries for a week or 2 is enough as they can go out for more. Use proper mask, sanitization, and keeping distance, they can coordinate and get essentials without panicking. A lot of myths are going around the internet about the virus, and how certain things can cure it. People must stop believing these myths, otherwise, the situation can get worse. So, share legit links with people from WHO or UN or your government, about these myths so that they know what is true and what is not. The government is trying to pass out real data to its citizens. They are building their pages, websites, WhatsApp bots (India) to keep people inform. It is important to teach kids about proper hand hygiene and social distancing. You can use funny memes or create images or use helpful videos on the internet so that kids understand this better. Keep in mind, that this disease has claimed over 17,000 lives. If we want to survive, we need to stay home and not burden the healthcare provider who is risking their life for us. Support them, and other people like police, military, railway, and sanitization workers by staying home. Also, don’t spread any news without confirmation. Fake news can create more panic amongst people.1) Share tips for hand-washing
2) Explain your house-help about social distancing
3) Create a WhatsApp group for elder relatives
4) Make a video
5) Communicate
6) Bust myths
7) Apps
Aware your friends and family by sharing links to these apps or bots so that they get their news from legit sources.
8) Use videos or images to teach kids
