The Authorities in some countries like Singapore raised their Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) to orange on 07 February 2020, while others such as South Korea have alerted it to red.
Declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by The World Health Organisation (WHO). This announcement made all the majorly hit nations by the virus to become worried and they started panic buying, masks were being bought in bulk and going out of stock everywhere and hand sanitizers were also bought in huge numbers.
To make matters worse, the situation was aggravated by extensive rumours and fake news over the internet. So what shall you do – keep calm, take precautions, and read these tips:
Be Calm
If you are having worrying thoughts about the virus because it is really not in your control, try to focus your mind on things which you have full control of instead – such as staying alert, deep breathing exercises, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation and think positive thoughts.
Be Informed
Keeping yourself informed and staying on top of all the COVID-19 news and updates is one of the most important things to do in such times.
However, it is important to do a fact check and also make sure that you read news from reliable sources only. We recommend that you only follow the news such as the MOH website or the gov.sg WhatsApp service (go.gov.sg/whatsapp). It is important to stay away from fake news and to always do a fact check on news shared to you via internet messengers and social media websites like Facebook to prevent anxiety.
Gain Perspective
COVID-19 (even though being infectious), is not as deadly as the 2003 SARs virus. The mortality rate is low and the recovery rate is very high. For example, if someone does get infected, then he/she is more than likely to survive and recover.
Be Active
Physical activities help release stress. This means that it is not only beneficial for physical health but also for mental health. Therefore, it is suggested that one should increase or keep doing physical activities and maintain his/her daily routine in order to stay mentally fit.
If you are not allowed to go out of the house, then focus and engage yourself in doing ACE activities i.e. activities which gives you a sense of Achievement, Connection to others and Enjoyment.
Stay Hygienic
Practice good hygiene always. This can be done by washing hands with soap always, keeping a mask on if you are having flu-like symptoms, keeping your mouth covered when coughing or sneezing using a tissue paper and avoiding unnecessarily touching your face with your hands. Also, remember to eat and rest well and take care of your mental health.
