What is a Self-Quarantine and How Does it Help in Coronavirus?

Health experts are encouraging people to go into a self-quarantine. But what exactly is a self-quarantine and is it helpful to control coronavirus spread? Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston) believe yes; explaining how should ideal self-quarantine looks like.

Quarantine means to separate infected or potentially infected people from healthy individuals. It is basically an isolation unit where infected or suspected patients are kept under observation during a highly contagious disease outbreak such as the current coronavirus pandemic.

The self-quarantine means to follow a self-isolation plan where you keep yourself restricted in a specific room or area and see if the infection symptoms prevail.  Dr. Susan Wootton is a consultant pediatrician in an infected disease and she explains how does a self-quarantine ideally looks like.

She advises doing the following things.

• Keep yourself separated from other family members.
• Isolate yourself from your pets at home.
• Read about the symptoms and self-evaluate your self.
• Call a doctor and get help if you want to get tested.
• Wear a face mask if you are around people.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after touching surfaces such as doorknobs, remote controls, keys, etc.
• Cover your face with hands or your sleeve while coughing and sneezing.
• Do not share your personal belongings with the family.
• Check if your symptoms heal or get worse with time.
• Do not come out of self-quarantine unless a medical practitioner advises you.

It is necessary to know what is the purpose of getting into a self-quarantine. Read about coronavirus and its symptoms from an authentic source such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s website.

Monitor yourself and go into a self-quarantine if you had close contact with someone who is diagnosed with coronavirus infection. The common symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, flu, fever, etc. But medical experts have added some more symptoms of coronavirus that include loss of smell, loss of taste and diarrhea.

Note that symptoms of coronavirus could be different in everyone. However, if you notice these symptoms or any one of these symptoms and you have a travel history to the most affected areas i.e. China, it is time to get into a self-quarantine.

Since this virus is highly contagious, there are high chances that being around a positive patient had infected you too.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published detailed information on self-quarantine. In association with the Department of Homeland Security, CDC has imposed new federal travel restrictions so that all travelers are protected from this highly contagious infection which is a public health problem.