What are some measures I can take to avoid contracting or transmitting COVID-19?

As a volunteer, you are in a position to help people receive vital support. However, it is equally true that you could easily and unknowingly pass the virus on to the person you are trying to help.

If we want to support people who are immunocompromised, it is absolutely crucial that this possibility is eliminated. If you are not ready to take the necessary precautions to avoid accidentally infecting vulnerable people, it may be better that you do not volunteer at all. This means being extremely vigilant to following hygiene procedures and carefully considering all the various possibilities for contamination in the process of delivering supplies.

Some important general principles are:

• Regular hand washing or hand sanitising if no access to soap and water
• Avoid touching your face and objects in public unnecessarily
• Practice [social distancing](Social distancing) and avoid gatherings in public spaces
• Avoid unnecessary use of public transport or travelling to cities and towns unnecessarily. If you’re required to use PT, consider wearing a P2/N95 mask, and make sure you are cleansing hands regularly
• If you think you have symptoms, it is best to tap out from volunteering
• If you are out in public and notice somebody else has symptoms, it is best to take extra hygiene precautions around them

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?:

Symptoms are usually mild and gradually appear. Most people (at time of publishing, around 80%) diagnosed with COVID-19 have made a full recovery without needing special treatment. 1 in 6 people with COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and can develop breathing difficulty.

Common symptoms:

• Fever
• Tiredness
• Dry cough

Less common, but symptoms that can still be present:

• Aches and pains
• Nasal congestion