EASY STEPS TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread and infect many people around the world, making many people feel worried about the health of themselves and their families.

Although COVID-19 mostly attacks adults, parents still need to be vigilant and implement a number of preventive measures, especially for children. This needs to be done as a way to protect children and families from COVID-19 in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Get used to hand washing
The corona virus is spread through human contact. Therefore, hand washing is the best way to protect yourself from virus exposure. Encourage children to wash their hands often with running water for at least 20 seconds, including after using toys, before and after eating, after going to the bathroom, after touching animals, and after coughing or sneezing. Make sure the child cleans up to the interstices of the fingers, the back of the hands, the tips of the nails, and rub the hands carefully before rinsing. If they do not have access to water and soap, the child can still use  hand sanitizer .

Ethics of coughing and sneezing
Coughing and sneezing has an etiquette or way of doing things. Correct education about coughing and sneezing etiquette is important to be taught to children from an early age. This is useful for protecting children from potential spread of disease through saliva splashes when coughing and sneezing. Here's how to teach cough and sneeze etiquette properly and correctly to children:

- Teach children to cover their noses with tissues or elbows when coughing or sneezing.
- Teach children not to cover their mouth and nose with the palms of their hands while coughing. Turn your face and do not cough in front of others.
- Immediately throw used tissues in the trash.
- Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds or use  hand sanitizer .

Avoid touching the face
The human body can be exposed to the virus through the eyes, nose and mouth. In fact, it is easy for children to hold foreign objects and then touch their faces by accident. For this reason, it is important for parents to guide and teach children not to touch the face too often, especially the eyes, nose, and mouth if the hands are not clean.


Apply a healthy lifestyle
In a pandemic like now, it is highly recommended for everyone to build a strong immune system. Make sure your child always eats high nutritional foods and vitamins regularly, and gets enough rest.


Limit playing with friends
In addition to keeping the child's personal hygiene to prevent infection with the corona virus, parents can also apply additional things such as not making appointments to play with their child's friends or neighbors, especially if any of them are sick, cough and sneeze, and have a history of traveling to an infected country.


Although there are some reports that the corona virus rarely infects children, parents still need to be vigilant and alert. If you have symptoms of cough or flu, fever > 38 0 C, sore throat, and difficulty breathing in your child, immediately take him to the nearest hospital for quick and appropriate treatment.