To stem the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in the United States, President Donald Trump has issued coronavirus guidelines, which are in place for the next 15 days.
The coronavirus disease has ravaged through 155 countries with more than 196,000 infections and more than 7,800 deaths. It is still rapidly spreading to country hotspots, such as Italy, Spain, France, South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others.
Trump urged people to limit their normal behaviors when it comes to shopping, eating out, and socializing, as the number of cases in the United States has reached more than 5,800. The guidelines, which were laid out at the White House press conference, work by encouraging people to avoid social gatherings of more than ten people, as well as evading eating or drinking in restaurants, bars, and food courts.
In some states, where there is localized transmission of the deadly virus, the officials should close all public places such as gyms, food courts, restaurants, bars, and other indoor and outdoor event venues where people could congregate.
Movie cinema billboard with three basic rules to avoid the coronavirus or Covid-19 epidemic of wash hands, maintain social distance and clean surfaces. Image Credit: Steve Heap / Shutterstock
The guidelines
In the President’s coronavirus guidelines for America, they advised those who are sick not to go out and just stay home. They should also inform their medical providers about their symptoms and if their condition worsens.
For parents with sick children, they should not send their kids to school and call their doctor, while those who have someone in the household who is COVID-19 positive keep everyone at home.
The government also urges older adults, who are more than 60, to stay at home and stay away from other people to keep them safe from the virus. Older people, those who are immunocompromised, and those with underlying health conditions, such as heart disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes, and hypertension, should stay at home and avoid interacting with other people.
The guideline also reiterated that even those who are young are at risk, and their activities may promote the spread of the virus. They should take precautionary measures such as avoiding gatherings, washing their hands regularly, and practicing social distancing.
Whenever possible, students should work and engage in schooling at home to prevent large crowds. The best way to control the spread of the virus is to slow down its transmission.
The guidelines also emphasized that all Americans should avoid social gatherings, avoid eating and drinking in bars and restaurants, just use the drive-thru, pickup, or delivery services. Residents are banned from visiting nursing homes since older adults are at a high risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease. Further, all travels, social visits, and shopping trips should be canceled.
“Older adults and persons with severe underlying health conditions are considered to be at increased risk of more serious illness after contracting COVID-19. Priority should be given to ensuring the safety of these groups of people, particularly for any mass gatherings that are expected to have a large number of older adults or persons with underlying conditions,” the CDC reports.
Lastly, the government emphasizes the need for proper hygiene practices to prevent infection, including washing the hands regularly, avoid touching the face, disinfect frequently used items regularly and adequately, and cough or sneeze into a tissue and dispose of properly.
What is going on?
The coronavirus disease has now touched all continents, except for Antarctica, spanning across 155 countries. As of writing, there are already 196,640 confirmed cases and 7,894 deaths. Now, the epicenter of the outbreak has moved to Europe, after Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom have all reported increasing infections.
Italy has the highest number of infections outside China, with 31,506 confirmed cases and a staggering 2,503 deaths. Iran has 16,169 cases and 988 deaths. Meanwhile, Spain and France have 11,748 and 7,683 confirmed cases, respectively.
The United Kingdom has 1,960 cases and 56 deaths, while the United States has 5,894 confirmed cases and 97 deaths.
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