Kids, This Is Why You Should Stay At Home During Quarantine

Kids, This Is Why You Should Stay At Home During Quarantine

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We know, we know. It’s getting boring having so much free time but having absolutely nothing to do at home. But keep in mind this isn’t just the flu nor is it a month-long vacation. These closures are a way to enforce social distancing that can help stop transmission of the virus, which means: you should stay at home.

RELATED: A Helpful Guide On How To Keep Sane During Quarantine

With classes canceled and nowhere to go, it could get tempting to leave the house and gallivant with friends. But let me just stop you from further entertaining that idea right now. You may not be sick yet, but with each passing day, more and more people are getting tested positive for COVID-19. Some who are asymptomatic have had the same mindset as you while they get through their day, unknowingly spreading the virus and infecting more people.

So, before you even think about hitting up your friends or convincing your family to eat out, here are all the reasons why you should stay at home during this quarantine period:

Your privilege keeps you safe

Some people are not as lucky or as privileged as you. In fact, a whole lot don’t even have a home to seek respite to. Most of us have to go to work just to survive. Even when a lockdown is in order, there are some of us who don’t have a choice or the luxury to stay at home. Don’t make it harder for the people who have to go to work by just going out whenever you want to.

That vacation you just booked (and actually flew out to) or that simple night out you planned may ease your social barometer, but it increases the chances of spreading COVID-19. We’re keeping a sharp eye, too. This isn’t a party, it is literally a lifeline for survival. Remember that, kids.

Staying home means saving lives

Literally, it’s that easy. If you stay at home, it lessens the probability of carrying the virus and spreading it to more people. It’s in your hands to break the chain. Take, for example, South Korea. The country was doing a good job controlling the virus for the first 30 patients, but one patient did not adhere to social distancing and went to church. It caused two clusters responsible for 80% of South Korea’s infections.

Learn from Italy

According to Time, Italy has gone from having only three cases of the Coronavirus to having the highest number of cases and deaths outside of China. This happened in less than a month. Having been undetected for weeks, the virus unknowingly spread throughout Italy and now they are facing major consequences, making it now an epicenter for the Coronavirus. What we can learn from this is that it’s better to operate under the pretense that there is transmission in your community already.

And while it will be an exercise of verification, heed the whispers of stories that have escaped from the troubled country. Again, it is better to be safe than sorry.

When you leave the house, you put your family’s health at risk

Photo from LA Times

You may think that your immune system can take the virus, and it potentially will, but your parents or grandparents may not be as healthy as you anymore. Even if you’re not infected, you could still be a carrier of the virus–even without symptoms. One of Vietnam’s major steps in containing the virus was to keep their students from going to school. During that time, the deputy minister of education and training instructed schools to disinfect classrooms before students resume their classes. We never thought we would ever say this but: kids, don’t stay in school.

Canceling your next flight could be your hero move

Just like what Singapore did to contain the Coronavirus, they started referring inbound travelers from Wuhan with a fever or respiratory symptoms for assessment and isolation. They were one of the first countries to cancel all inbound flights from Wuhan, too. But since our government has not banned travels yet, it is unfortunately up to us to take the initiative. Remember, a single person can break the chain. Let it be you.

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