If you live with a person who has been infected with the coronavirus or who may be, you should try to isolate the patient and take extreme hygiene precautions. This guide, based on the advice of the Community of Madrid, the region of Spain with the highest number of infected, explains how to do it:
How should an infected person be isolated in a home?
To isolate a person infected with coronavirus in their own home, it is advisable to have a room exclusively for them. It is also advisable not to share a bathroom with the infected person and, as far as possible, avoid meeting the patient in other rooms of the home to comply with the protocol of keeping at least one meter away from any positive case.
- Whenever possible, it is recommended to install the patient in a room for exclusive use.
- Ensure good ventilation and a window with access to the street.
- If possible, reserve a bathroom for the infected person.
- A dustbin with an automatic lid and a zippered bag for patient waste The door must remain closed.
- You must limit circulation in the home to essential situations.
- To minimize contact, the patient will try to communicate with other family members or cohabitants via mobile.
- If you leave the room, the use of a mask and proper hand hygiene with soap and water or an alcohol-based disinfectant are recommended.
How to clean the house?
When you live with a person infected with the Covid-19, thorough daily cleaning is essential to avoid new infections. Special attention should be paid to surfaces that the infected person may have touched. The person in charge of cleaning should wear a mask and gloves. For cleaning, a solution of bleach water should be used: one part of disinfectant for every 49 of water. Clean all frequent contact surfaces daily: door handles, tables, switches, taps, toilets, telephones, and keyboards. The dishes and utensils should be washed with hot soapy water, preferably in a dishwasher to reach 60º. The patient's clothes can be washed separately with usual detergent at a temperature between 60º and 90º. Let it dry completely.
What to do with the waste?
The contaminated residues of an infected by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus can be dangerous for the safety of other people who live with it. Therefore, the correct treatment of the generated remains can avoid possible contagions. It is essential to use disposable cleaning elements, to properly insulate the trash in a plastic bag, and exhaustive personal hygiene after treating this waste.
- Throw the gloves and mask in the trash and wash your hands next.
- Trash should be in a closed plastic bag.
- The infected person's towel will have a single-use and will be put in a specific bucket.
