Specialist Social Safety - Covid-19

A Take on Corona Virus

(Covid-19)

As a business, Spectrum Industrial, Visual Group and Social Safety are doing their part surrounding the world pandemic, Covid-19. Developing products to help keep your customers safe, calm and flowing in the greatest time of need. Information currently circulating can be confusing, complicated and sometimes contradictory on how best to implement improvements and control.

Here, we’ve compiled some simple information, some guideline steps and some helpful tips to do your part as everyone ramps up for isolation within the UK and will be releasing our catalogue of specialist floor, wall and outside signs/markers in due course, highlighting the social distancing requirements and needs efficiently.

As the recent news shows, essential businesses such as the NHS, private hospitals, grocery stores, supermarkets and relevant healthcare walk in/contact centres will be active and open as normal, but under control of guidelines for the workplace.

These cover but aren’t limited to

1.     Washing your hands more often, for 20 seconds or more, using quality hand soap and hot water. Especially if you just have coughed, sneezed or blown your nose. If you have just passed through a communal area and touched surfaces, the same applies. Of course, if you have access to hand sanitizer, it’s advised to use this following.

2.     Try at all costs, to sneeze and cough into a tissue or your sleeve if taken by surprise. This is proven to limit any droplets leaving your personal area and travelling the 2m to another. Dispose of the tissue if you happen to use this and repeat washing your hands.

3.     Clean, disinfect and limit contact on regular touched objects. Reducing risks of passing on any germs.

Why 2 meters?

Social distancing is a term and tool currently being implemented across the world. Public health organisations recommend that 2m (6 feet) is a competent control measure to slow down, limit and reduce the spread of the coronavirus or any other pathogen. The social distancing is proving to be the best control measure the government can implement. It’s seen as so important as the virus spreads when an infected person coughs droplets into the air. Somebody within the 2m distance could potentially inhale this causing the infection to be developed.

Simply put, 2m means people stay far away enough from each other to prevent and cross contamination.

We still don’t know everything we need to on the virus itself hence why there’s so much information on everyone’s idea of best practice. However, we want to help you deliver the measures which do work and are being recommended from WHO (World Health Organisation).

Everyone is now being told to follow the social distancing rules, especially higher risk individuals such as over-70’s, pregnant women and adults with underlying health issues.

Social distancing cannot 100% stop all transmissions, however, close contact person to person is the most likely method of spread. This simple rule carried out effectively and on a large scale, this will categorically break or slow down the curve of transmission.

Who is at a higher risk?

Everyone involved with Covid-19, admit there are still some things to learn. However, as with most viruses, its consistent that certain individuals are in a higher risk bracket and therefore, extra precautions need to be taken for these individuals.

*Something to note- Even if you’re not high risk, you may be a carrier not showing symptoms, meaning any contact you happen to transmit with a high-risk person. Could cause the spread and some serious problems for them. Consider taking extra care if you’re not high risk yourself, but meet another who is*

Underlying illnesses considered high risk (Not limited to)

·        High Blood Pressure.

·        Older persons in general but especially with health concerns.

·        Diabetes.

·        Cancer.

·        Lung Disease & other respiratory problems.

·        Heart Disease.

If Covid-19 is contracted with these already existing health issues, it seems to develop quicker with more serious complications.

Panic spreads faster than the pandemic

Panic spreads faster than any virus the world has ever seen. With immediate access online, to get information from one side of the globe to another has never been easier. Which on one hand is amazing to help control something so vast. However, with the barrier to entry is so minimal, it opens the floodgates for a lot of poor and incorrect information to be widespread immediately. Even if this information is coming from a good place and good intentions, it could potentially be detrimental to the overall control of this pandemic. Social media platforms amplify uncertainties and misinformation.

As a simple rule to weed out any unauthorised or proven information is to take information from credible news sources. If the news isn’t covering the story, its more than likely too early to take any real action on the information outlined.

With so much information out there currently, combing through the wrong from right can be confusing and contradictory. However, essential sectors across the UK can control and alleviate some panic with some simple additions to their premises. Everyone still needs to shop for food and basic medical supplies from supermarkets and otherwise, what we do know is that the 2m rule is the easiest form of control to implement. Centurion Europe have developed a range for you to quickly and easily transition into highly visual, easy to understand and follow product range.

Is it safe to receive a package from a possibly infected area?

Yes. The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also very low. 

Simple precautions to help protect yourself

1.     Regularly, thoroughly and effectively clean your hands by all means possible. Whether this is alcohol base hand gel throughout the day, washing your hands with soap and hot water whenever you can.

·        Washing your hands and using sanitizer gel kills viruses that could be living on your hands.

2.     Maintain the recommended 2m (6 feet) social distancing wherever possible. Especially anyone coughing or sneezing.

·        The small droplets omitted from these bodily functions could contain Covid-19. Being too close could mean contracting the virus yourself

3.     Avoid touching eyes nose and mouth if you haven’t just washed your hands.

·        Hands are the place carrying most germs at any one time as they touch the most things during the day. From here touching eyes, nose and mouth could easily mean Covid-19 entering the body this way and making you sick.

4.     Be vigilant with the people around you, are they following the guidelines also?

·        Without the co-operation of everyone working together, the curve flattening out will be slower, everyone working together will speed up the process.

·        Follow good respiratory hygiene when coughing and sneezing will have a great positive impact.

5.     If you feel unwell, stay home.

·        Calling 111 when you have any symptoms is the most effective social distancing/isolation method currently outlined to claim advice. Which is all up to date and relevant for almost all situations surrounding Covid-19.

·        Using this method of staying isolated if unwell will reduce any contact with others, further strengthening the methodology in reducing person to person contact.

6.     Keep up to date from credible sources for all the latest information.

·        Local and National News.

·        Government Websites such as www.who.int, www.gov.uk.

7.     Your wellbeing.

·        Any concerns surround your wellbeing please follow: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

Myth Busters

As discussed, some information is easily accessible but have been discredited, proven otherwise and given alternatives by who.int. They are the World Health Organisation and are referenced for credit on the below information.

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters

COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in areas with hot and humid climates

Cold weather and snow CANNOT kill the new coronavirus.

Taking a hot bath does not prevent the new coronavirus disease

Are hand dryers effective in killing the new coronavirus?

Can eating garlic help prevent infection with the new coronavirus?

 Does the new coronavirus affect older people, or are younger people also susceptible?

Are there any specific medicines to prevent or treat the new coronavirus?