Stay prepared for festivals with COVID precautions…

As the month of October kicks in, people in India gear up for the festive season. Most people describe this time as their favourite time of the year, and why not? It is the time when a lot of people get to go home and visit their families, eat festive food and sweets, enjoy their time with their loved ones, and celebrate the small things.

Even as we do that every year, health remains paramount, and people are always ensuring that their families and friends are healthy and safe during these times. As we welcome the festive season with the commencement of the Durga Pooja, followed by Dushehra and Diwali, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important to lay special emphasis on health and safety.

5 tips to stay safe during celebrations in the time of COVID-19

If you are looking for ways to stay safe and celebrate all festivals that lie ahead of you, here are 5 tips you must follow.

Follow all precautions – Needless to say, but people are now slipping when it comes to taking precautions for COVID-19 prevention. Wearing masks, washing hands regularly, using hand-rubs, are some of the precautions you must take to ensure that you and your loved ones stay safe.

Do not ignore any symptoms – Studies have now suggested that COVID-19 symptoms may actually not be the most reliable marker of the infection. However, even as many people who have contracted the virus remain asymptomatic, others who have even the mildest symptoms should not ignore them, or pass them as a “seasonal flu” or “common cold”. Isolating, staying home, and taking precautions is very necessary. This is not just because you may put other people at risk, but also because with weakened immunity due to some other infection, your body may be more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Avoid assumptions – Various people around the world have got COVID-19 and recovered from it. There is a common assumption among these people that they will not fall sick, and they are therefore careless towards the precautions of COVID-19. While re-infection cases are rare, they are not impossible. Assuming anything about the disease or the behaviour of the virus can prove very dangerous.

Greetings – ‘Namaste, and not handshakes’ became the common slogan during the beginning of the pandemic, where people preferred to join their hands and greet others rather than shaking your hands. Using such traditional ways of greetings, especially during the festive season may be a good idea, given how rapidly the virus is spreading.

Refrain from eating outside – While there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be transferred through cooked food, it is recommended to not eat from outside during the festive season, not just because of the risk of COVID-19, but because such food can cause other stomach infections, which can affect your immunity and overall health. Also, no food like a home-cooked, traditional meal at a festival, right?