Rand Realty’s Advisory: What You Need to Know to Protect Yourself from the Coronavirus

UPDATE 3.21.2020.  As per the new New York  and New Jersey  “stay-at-home” restrictions, we are now instructing our agents to no longer provide showings of listings, our offices are closed, and we encourage everyone to stay at home at all times unless you have “essential business.”

 

Published March 11, 2020

UPDATE March 17, 2020

We wanted to put out this general Advisory about the Coronavirus Epidemic, and what our clients, agents, and employees should be doing to minimize the spread of the virus.

First of all, if you are at high-risk, you should be staying isolated at home except if you need to go out for groceries, medicine, or medical treatment. What do we mean by high-risk?

• If you have pre-existing heart troubles.
• If you have pre-existing respiratory troubles.
• If you are diabetic.
• If you are over 60 years old.

People at high-risk are at an elevated risk of severe illness from the coronavirus, so they should be especially careful about staying close to home during this time.

But even if you’re not high-risk, you should stay home as much as possible, and follow hygienic protocols to reduce your risk of catching or spreading the virus.  Why?

• The coronavirus has proven to be fatal even to healthy people — the chances are lower than if you’re high-risk, but the virus is still a lot more deadly than the average flu.
• Even if you’re asymptomatic, you could be a carrier, and you could communicate the virus to someone who is high-risk.
• As a society, we need to reduce the spread of this virus in order to lower the burden on our health care infrastructure — we want to “flatten the curve” of the spread of the infection so we don’t overwhelm emergency rooms and intensive care units.

So what kinds of precautions should you take?

1.  Wash your hands!

Soap is the very best preventative for communicating the virus, so use it.  Wash your hands regularly, for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water.

2.  Use Anti-Bacterial wipes and gel.

If you can’t wash your hands, the next best thing is to use an anti-bacterial wipe or gel both before and after you come into contact with other people, objects, or surfaces. And use those wipes to wipe down any objects or surfaces you touch or plan on touching.

3.   Social Distancing: Keep your distance!

If you do have the leave your home, should try to keep a “social distance” from others when out of your home. Give yourself 5-6 feet of distance from other people if possible.

4.  Social Distance Greetings: No handshakes, hugs, kisses

No kissing, hugging, handshakes. Even the elbow shake is probably not a good idea. Instead, try the “heartfelt” gesture: both hands over your heart and a nod of your head to the person you’re greeting.

5.  Avoid large groups.

Avoid gatherings of more than a dozen people in close proximity. Don’t go to dinner — get takeout instead.

6.  Hands off your face!

Try to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

7.  Keep tissues handy for coughs and sneezes.

If you sneeze or cough, do it into a tissue, then throw away the tissue, then wash your hands or wipe them down.  If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hand — and then wash or wipe yourself down.

8.  Stay isolated if you’re not feeling well!

If you’re not feeling well with any kind of cough or fever, stay isolated home. At this point, you probably have a normal flu or some common cold, but don’t take chances. If your symptoms become serious, call your doctor or get medical attention.

9.  Strengthen your immune system

You can strengthen your immune system by taking some simple measures like:

• Getting more sleep
• Eating healthier
• Staying hydrated
• Taking more vitamins, especially Vitamin D, Zinc,

10.  STAY HOME!!!

If you don’t need to be out of the house, then stay home. If you have to leave, practice social distancing and use your wipes to clean surfaces and your hands.  That’s the best way to limit social interaction and slow the spread of the virus.

 

If you need help:

• Center for Disease Control
• NY Health Department

  NJ Health Department
• New York State Hotline: 1-888-364-3065.
• New Jersey State Hotline: 1-800-222-1222

Symptoms of Coronavirus

Coronavirus is marked by fever and cough. If you’re not well, but suffering from other symptoms, you might have a simple cold or more common flu.

Usually:                                   Sometimes:                             Rare or Never:
Fever                                       Aches and Pains                      Sneezing

Cough                                      Headaches                              Running or stuffy nose

Shortness of Breath                Diarrhea

Emergency warning signs include difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, pressure in the chest, or bluish lips or face. If you present these emergency signs, get medical attention immediately.