Cocooning ISL Video 02 – Advice for visitors, including those who are providing care for you

28th March 2020

1) Advice for your visitors and carers

• Contact regular visitors to your home, such as friends and family to let them know that you are cocooning and that they should not visit you during this time unless they are providing essential care for you.
• Essential care includes things like help with washing, dressing, or feeding, healthcare, personal support with your daily needs or social care. This support should continue as long as support visitors do not have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19).
• If you receive regular health or social care from an organisation, either through your local authority or paid for by yourself, inform your care providers that you are cocooning and agree a plan for continuing your care.
• If you have a carer ask them to write down the contact information you need in case you become ill while they are not in the house.
• All people coming to your home should wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds on arrival to your house and often while they are there.
• You should have an alternative list of people who can help you with your care if your main carer becomes unwell.

2) Advice for people living with you:

If you have someone else living with you, they are not required to adopt these protective cocooning measures for themselves. They should do what they can to support you in cocooning and they should strictly follow guidance on physical distancing, coughing, sneezing and hand washing, especially upon arrival home.

• All people in your house should clean their hands regularly – This is one of the most important things you can do. Do this after you blow your nose, sneeze or cough, and after you eat or handle food.
• Try not to touch your face or anyone else’s face.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a paper tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Place used tissues into a plastic waste bag and immediately clean your hands with alcohol hand rub or wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Stay away from other people in your home most of the time in a well-ventilated room with a window to the outside that you can open.
• If you have to go into the same room with other people at home you should try to keep at least 1 metre (3 ft) and where possible 2 metres away from them.

Now some advice about 1) Bathroom and toilet, 2) Kitchen and 3) Cleaning

1) In the bathroom and toilet:

• If you can, you should use a toilet and bathroom that no one else in the house uses.
• If you cannot have your own toilet and bathroom, the toilet and bathroom you use needs to be kept clean. Another tip is to consider drawing up a rota for bathing, with you using the facilities first.
• Make sure you use separate towels from the other people in your house, both for drying themselves after bathing or showering and for hand-hygiene purposes.

2) In the kitchen:

If you share a kitchen with others, avoid using it while they are present. If you can, you should take your meals back to your room to eat. If you have one, use a dishwasher to clean and dry the family’s used crockery and cutlery. If this is not possible, wash them using your usual washing-up liquid and warm water and dry them thoroughly. Do not share cutlery and utensils. When using your own utensils, remember to use a separate tea towel for drying these.

3) Cleaning:

• Clean all surfaces, such as counters, table-tops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets and toilet handles, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables, every day with a cleaning product.
• When cleaning you should use your usual household products, like detergents and bleach as these will be very effective at getting rid of the virus. Follow the instructions on the manufacturer’s label and check they can be used on the surface you are cleaning.
• Clean frequently touched surfaces such as door handles and table tops.