Singaporean paramedic shares disinfecting routine to prevent the spread of coronavirus at home

Frontline healthcare heroes have been working hard at fighting against the coronavirus, and they deserve all our respect. 

After a long day of treating patients and possibly coming in contact with suspected Covid-19 cases, healthcare workers face another set of challenges upon coming home — the risk of infecting their loved ones.

Singaporean paramedic, Burhan Ddin, shared on Facebook a glimpse of what his daily home disinfecting routine is like to keep his family safe and protected against the virus. 

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/dydiin/posts/10163550615675341[/embed]

Safe distancing at home

At Burhan's home, safe distancing is paramount. Before he reaches home, his wife will prepare a set of new clothes, bath towel, disinfectant spray and mop, which will be placed close to each other to limit his movement around the house.

All fans and the air conditioner will be shut off and the room doors are closed "to minimise cross-contamination in the house".

His wife and daughter will stay in a room, so that there'll be no contact with him once he walks through the door.

Shower and wash clothes immediately

Once Burhan's home, he pops right into the bathroom and washes his clothes immediately, as there's no telling how long the virus can stay on clothes and fabric.

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Once he's done showering, he'll mop the floor with disinfectant solution and wipe down the dining table, door handles and everything that he has touched or come in contact with.

He advises to start "from the least contaminated to the most contaminated area", supposedly to reduce the area of contamination. 

At times, when his daughter is awake, she would cry out for him, and that's when his heart sinks. Burhan says: " I feel like going in her room straight and hug her after [my] 12-hour shift, but NO!"

Daddy duties

After a 12-hour shift and a tedious disinfecting routine, most people would call it a day and jump straight into bed. But not for Burhan. As long as his daughter is still awake, he'll carry out his daddy duties.

He would wash his hands first before entering the room to play with his daughter, and the playtime would last till she's fallen asleep.

Durhan ends off his Facebook post with a reminder for all to "ensure cleanliness and proper hygiene before it destroys you and your loved ones". He added a note to "stay home and stay away from crowded areas" and "mask on!".

If you're part of the population that are employed in essential services and still have to go to work during this "circuit breaker" period, perhaps these are some tips you can glean to keep your home safe too.

ALSO READ: Here is how you can keep your family safer at home from the coronavirus

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

melissagoh@asiaone.com