COVID-19: Keeping Your Home Safe When None of You are Sick
COVID-19 is transmitted from person to person (close, prolonged contact), from viruses coughed or sneezed by a sick person, or by touching a contaminated surface with your hand then touching your nose, mouth or eyes.
Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Particularly important times to wash are: each time you return from outside your home; before handling food; after handling food; before eating; after using the restroom, after wiping your nose; after touching anything contaminated such as diapers, toilets etc.
A common hand towel can be used for drying hands. Never use the hand towel to dry your face. Hand lotion may prevent the skin of your hands from cracking.
Clean commonly touched surfaces with regular cleaning products or diluted bleach (5ml bleach in 250ml of water). These surfaces include door handles, cabinet handles, light switches, taps, counters, microwave buttons, toilet flush handles, faucets, shared phones, electronics, bedside tables, television remotes and any other surface that is commonly touched by different people.
Close the toilet lid before flushing. COVID-19 has been found in human feces.
Avoid sharing cups, utensils and plates with other people. Wash dishes as usual.
Wash laundry with your usual detergent. For objects that cannot be washed such as teddy bears and some toys, dry objects for 20 minutes in the dryer.
Avoid gathering with people outside of your immediate household.
When returning from outside, leave outdoor shoes near the door and wear another pair inside the home. Place outdoor clothing together in a closet. Although these items are not known to transmit infection, it is possible that they were in contact with contaminated surfaces.
If you are not sick with COVID-19 there is no reason to distance yourself from your pet. There is no evidence that pets transmit COVID-19 to humans or that humans transmit COVID-19 to pets. Rarely, a dog or cat and one group of tigers in the Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID-19. Information on this topic is likely to evolve.
If repairs are essential, ensure that workers wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before entering the home. They may choose to wear masks or home-made face coverings while in your living space. They should remain 6 feet (2 meters) away from people living in the home.
Created by: Tori Spangehl BKin, BSN, (MD Candidate 2021); Paige Dean BSc, (MD Candidate 2021); Angeli Rawat MPH PhD (Global Public Health Consultant); Maureen Mayhew MD MPH AAC (Clinical Professor) at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada