Covid 19 Advice

Assalamu Alaikum,

We are in the midst of the biggest health related catastrophe of our lifetime. Covid-19 has already sadly taken the lives of over 33 000 people all over the world. The UK has been hit hard and as of writing there have been over 1200 deaths. Bangladesh has had 5 confirmed deaths as a result of Covid-19 but this is a figure which is sadly likely to rise significantly in the coming weeks.

In a situation like this it is easy to feel helpless but there are many things that we can do individually as we at a community level to reduce the spread of the coronavirus as well as the resultant death toll.

I would like to share 5 simple things that we can all do to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus:

1. Wash your hands regularly. Washing your hands thoroughly is the best way of getting rid of the virus from your hands. Alternatively, you can use alcohol hand gels but these are less effective than handwashing.
2. Please take care to cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing, preferably with a disposable tissue which you should immediately dispose of.
3. Social distancing – don’t meet up with friends, visit relatives or family members. Work from home if possible. Only go out to pick up essential food items or medicine and when you do try to keep at least a 2-metre distance from other people. Many countries, including the UK, are in a lockdown situation so please respect the advice of the government and only go out for a valid reason as stipulated by the government.
4. Self-isolation – if you develop symptoms of Covid-19 (new continuous cough or fever above 37.8) then isolate yourself indoors for 7 days and make sure that anyone living in the same household self isolates for 14 days.
5. Keep an eye out for the vulnerable in our community. This could be an elderly family member or a neighbour. Speak to them over the phone to make sure that they are fine. Offer them help and support with shopping, etc. but make sure you respect the rules of social distancing outlined in point 3.

For those in the UK please check the government website which is regularly updated with the latest advice:

https://www.gov.uk/search/all?keywords=coronavirus+advice

The coming weeks and months will not be easy but if we all do our bit then we can significantly reduce the death toll from Covid-19.