"What pandemic? That's all finished!", the man immediately — and I do mean immediately — behind me in the supermarket queue exclaimed rather angrily as I asked him to please step back and maintain social distancing because of COVID-19.
It has to be mentioned that in doing so, authorities have had to find a balance between the public health concern the coronavirus still poses and the economic harm lockdowns have torpedoed us into — but there's no denying that the situation is, in many places, so very much better than it was just a short while back.
Have most of the COVID-19 related restrictions ended where you live? Are you now able to actually go to work again? Are your kids back in school or gearing up for it? Have malls, restaurants, and bars reopened? Do you again feel comfortable hugging your grandma? In other words, have you been itching to get back to the life you had before the pandemic changed the world?
1. As COVID-19 lockdown ends, keep washing those hands
COVID-19 made many people who more have more or less always taken both their health and their healthcare systems for granted truly aware of the need to wash their hands properly and often for the first time in their lives. Sure, we all grow up being told to wash our hands, and handwashing awareness campaigns pop up every single year to remind us. That didn't stop many of us from not really taking hand hygiene seriously.
At SteadyHealth, we hope that the COVID-19 pandemic can change that forever. Keep being aware of the need for proper hand hygiene — not just during classic "handwashing moments" like after the bathroom and while making a meal, but also after touching public surfaces countless other people have also already had contact with, potentially while being infectious. Do it properly, with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or with a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol, like you got used to during the pandemic.
2. Keep away from your face
On a closely related note, if you trained yourself to avoid touching your face with unwashed hands during the pandemic, don't allow that habit to atrophy. Keep it up. Even if COVID-19 becomes a thing of the past, it's an excellent practice that will help keep you healthy.
3. Strongly consider wearing a face mask in settings where physical distancing is not really possible
As COVID-19 lockdowns peter out and people are again converging on public places like malls and buses in large numbers, it's clear that the physical distancing (initially called social distancing for some reason) we've gotten used to during the pandemic isn't here to stay. Even if your government advises people to stay a meter, two meters, or six feet apart, many simply don't. Then, there are settings where keeping a good distance isn't practically feasible.
The American CDC is still recommending cloth face coverings in settings where you are going to be around other people, and the World Health Organization recently joined in by offering similar recommendations. While surgical or cloth masks aren't a substitute for distance from people, their use does help protect the whole population, but yes, primarily people other than the wearer.
4. Stay home if you have symptoms of illness
People who have respiratory symptoms, fevers, diarrhea, muscle aches, coughs, severely runny noses, and other related symptoms that point to a probable infectious disease should keep away from others to prevent spreading whatever they may have. They should go out, ideally, only to seek medical attention.
Oh, this advice also covers people we live with — if we keep away from our relatives or housemates when we're ill, we can reduce their risk of getting ill, too, even if that's harder to achieve.
5. Continue to stay away from crowded public places if you can
Yes, so, you may be desperate to get out there after what seems like an eternity of Zoom meetings, Animal Crossing, and Netflix. But the world has changed, and COVID-19 is still out there. Ask yourself if you really need that post-lockdown drinking session with 20 of your coworkers, or if you really need to hop on a plane to see your relatives as soon as you can. If you can continue to work from home, consider that, too.
6. Pay more attention to disinfecting your home (and your workplace)
The knowledge that contaminated surfaces pose a potential risk — even if person-to-person transmission is the number one way to get COVID-19 — has caused many people to follow the advice to not just clean, but also disinfect, frequently-touched surfaces in their homes. It's a good thing to do, and keeping at it even as lockdown ends will serve your health and that of the people you may live with well. Consider doing this at your workplace (if you go to work outside of the home) as well.
Now, let's also take a look at deconfinement tips that go beyond physical precautions but that nonetheless very much affect your health — ultimately representing safety issues, too.
7. Even as lockdown ends, stay informed
Health-related "fake news" went viral during the pandemic, too, even coming from some rather unexpected quarters. During the height of the COVID-19 crisis, you were probably checking your local news, from reputable sources, religiously, and closely followed the latest advice offered by governmental and intergovernmental organizations like the CDC and WHO. Keep doing that. Keep being selective about where you get your health information, and stay informed every day. As we've all seen, public health concerns can change rapidly.
8. Keep appreciating your healthcare and essential workers
Did people, including probably you, clap for carers where you live as well? Did you have a newfound appreciation for doctors, nurses, janitors, and other essential workers who put their own lives and mental health on the line every day? They're still working their butts off for us all. Let's never take them for granted again.
9. Do allow yourself to embrace life again as lockdown ends
When the strict curfew that was in place in my country of residence came to an end, I almost felt like I was committing a crime when I left the house after the time that had previously meant curfew the first few times. I've been anxious to go out, in general. It's hard to balance the need for continued caution with the unmet social and physical needs that have pent up. It seems like people prone to the effects of stress have a harder time adjusting to post-lockdown life again. If you're one of them, too, sure — continue to take steps to protect yourself. But maybe don't lock yourself in your home forever.
10. Continue the open discussions about mental health
The COVID-19 pandemic saw large numbers of people discuss their mental health together very openly in quite an unprecedented way. People struggling with conditions as varied as post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism, and depression came together to share how the pandemic affected their mental health and how to cope. (I suspect the online nature of these conversations made them less intimidating to many.)