As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread and infect thousands of people worldwide, Self-isolation or quarantine is the most effective way to contain the spread of this deadly disease. Having said that, self-quarantine can disrupt your personal and professional life to a great extent, and it is a decision that is to be made after knowing all the facts. Here’s a brief insight on who should self-isolate/quarantine and how to do it right.

Social distancing, self-isolation and quarantine are all public health practices used to prevent exposure to contagious diseases. Social distancing measures limit human contact to avoid the spread of coronavirus infection but are not very severe in nature and allow solitary walks. Self-isolation and quarantines are more stringent solitary in nature.

In social distancing, you should avoid all in-person social engagements, but can spend time with family members you live with and can engage in activities like walking, running or gardening.

Self-quarantine is advised to people who do not have any symptoms but were in direct contact with an infected person. People in quarantine should not even be in contact with people living in the same house and should maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from everyone. Anything that may have been touched by a quarantined person should be disinfected to prevent the spread of this disease.

Isolation, on the other hand, is for people who are already infected with the virus and are to be completely separated from everyone, including their own family members or room mates living in the same house.

People with recent travel history and with medium or high vulnerability to the disease have been specifically asked by health officials and government to self-isolate/quarantine to avoid further spread of this disease.

How to self-quarantine?
It is the social responsibility of anyone who suspects that they could have been exposed to the virus to self-quarantine. Here are the steps to follow during self-quarantine: