As of now, the corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak has not only taken over the whole country - but even the whole world by storm.
And amidst this dire pandemic, the government of India has rightfully advised us - it's citizens, to maintain a ‘Janata Curfew’ which is a lock-down imposed from March 22nd onwards. Thankfully, the lock-down is now being lifted. But the virus however, is spreading faster than before.
This means that we would be spending a lot more time at home - in our housing society, and practice social distancing.
But how are we to socially distance ourselves in our housing society? Where we are surrounded on all four sides by hundreds and in some cases thousands of other families who are our fellow neighbours.
Which then leads us to the problem - housing societies are a very densely populated area where it is nearly impossible to maintain social distancing, because we are heavily dependent on one another to do our duties for the proper functioning of our society.
So how do we undertake the best possible precautions to keep us and our loved ones safe?
Don't worry, with VZTrack you can now screen every single visitor entering your society to know their body temperature and whether they are wearing a mask with VZTrack's COVID-19 Gate Screening Feature.
What's more is that you don't even need your Security Guards to do it, with the help of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, you can now simply screen visitors with the help of your CCTV camera and get alerts when something is wrong with VZTrack's AI Surveillance & Automated Security.
We have to adapt to this situation since it is not going away anytime soon, but together we can fight and overcome this.
Here are a few guidelines that can help you manage your society:
1. First of all, avoid all kinds of public gathering within the society premises. If you are planning to organise any kind of event then please cancel it immediately.
2. Make sure that your society staff and security guards are wearing masks and applying hand sanitisers regularly.
3. Please do not use any kind of society amenities such as the swimming pool & gym for a while.
4. Request your society staff to do their assigned work (with strict emphasis on sanitation) and go home as quickly as possible, without loitering around the society.
5. Be vigilant of your staff and residents who have arrived home recently from travelling and advise them to stay at home in a self-quarantine situation. Help them by providing them essential supplies such as food, medicine and other supplies.
6. Make sure that you disinfect all the frequently used areas and things such as lift buttons, door knobs and door bells, gates, etc.
Precautions For Your Society Residents:
1. Avoid using the elevators/lifts. If possible, try using the stairs instead.
2. Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly. Carry and use sanitizers which have an alcohol content of more than 60% when you are outdoors.
3. In case you have been travelling for the past 15 days whether domestically or internationally, please quarantine yourself for at least 2 weeks.
4. Eat healthy food, exercise regularly and get proper sleep. Don’t stress yourself and focus on things within your control that can boost your immune system.
5. Try your best to maintain social distancing, use the Rainbow & Messaging feature on the VZTrack App to contact your neighbours with their flat numbers in case you do not have their phone numbers.
6. In case of any kind of emergency, use the Emergency SOS feature in the VZTrack App to get immediate assistance from the Security Guards.
7. Make sure that your domestic help is well informed about the precautions that are needed to be taken in your home. If possible, try your best to do your household chores on your own, and give a couple weeks off to your maid or cook.
*BONUS TIP*
8. Vehicle Sanitation / Disinfection - Now that the lock-down will be lifted gradually, it is inevitable that we would be travelling for work back to our offices, to get groceries, and most important of all - to meet our loved ones whom we haven’t been with in a long time. So here is a detailed guide on how to properly sanitize your vehicles. You're welcome :)
And most important of all, be helpful to your neighbours - especially the senior citizens and those that are having a hard time taking care of themselves, help them in whichever way you can.
Precautions For Your Security Guards:
The security guards in your society are the ones who interact first with the society visitors, it is crucial that you instruct them with a few guidelines to keep them safe.
1. Inform your guards to keep a safe distance of at least 1 meter from the visitor/delivery man while speaking to them.
2. Do not hand over the VGP device to the visitor to make an entry, tell the guard to handle the device himself.
3. Collect details of the guards from the security agency about those who have travelled anywhere within the past few weeks.
4. Encourage your guards to maintain a high standard of personal hygiene.
The virus is not the only thing that is spreading at an alarming rate. Myths, misinformation and hoaxes are being circulated on the internet and on Whatsapp like wildfire.
Here is a list of few myths that you should beware of!
#1 Animals (Especially Pets) are carriers of the virus
This information has no credibility. There is absolutely no evidence which suggests that this is true. But with that being said, it is still advised that you stay away from stray animals and if you have pets then you must maintain an additional level of hygiene - especially regarding your pets. Please wash your hands every time when you touch your pet, this can help you to protect yourself from other kinds of bacterial infections.
#2 Herbal or other such Home Remedies are effective in treating this new virus
According the most reputable source on the internet right now - the WHO; there is currently no specific treatment or drug that you can use to cure yourself from this virus. Regardless, what these home remedies and herbal treatments can do is help strengthen your immune system, which is perhaps not a cure but it can definitely give you an advantage.
#3 Receiving packages from China is dangerous
This is not true at all. There is virtually no chance of you contracting the corona virus from a package or a letter coming from China. Health experts from WHO have reported that the virus cannot survive for a long period of time inside objects such as packages and letters. So you don’t have to worry about that.
Bottom line
The WHO has declared Coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic, and right now it is crucial that we take necessary precaution to keep us and our loved ones safe. The only way that we can fight against it is by maintaining proper personal hygiene and implement local safety measures in and around our home.
To stay up-to-date on the latest updates, please follow reliable sources such as the WHO (https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus) and the Indian Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (https://www.mohfw.gov.in/) and avoid spreading misinformation from unverified sources.
Please share this vital information with your society residents, neighbours and most importantly your society administrators - so that they are aware and can undertake the precautionary measures to keep your community safe and vibrant!