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A Guide for Parents to Deal with the Nationwide Coronavirus Lockdown

By Asmita KunduMarch 20, 2020
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What is coronavirus?

Novel Coronavirus or Covid-19 belongs to the family of coronaviruses that are mostly known to cause diseases in animals. Nonetheless, there are different kinds of coronaviruses, some of which are responsible for causing mild respiratory illnesses in humans. On the other hand, some coronaviruses are also responsible for causing more critical diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS) and middle east respiratory syndrome(MERS). 

However, the novel coronavirus, which is a new strain of the virus, made the jump from animals to humans in December 2019. Since then, it has been responsible for causing mild to severe respiratory diseases in humans. Even though this virus is from the same family as SARS and MERS, the strain is different. 

The coronavirus infection originated from the wet markets of the Wuhan region in China, which sold dead and live animals side by side. This virus has spread rapidly to other parts of the world as well. As of March 19, 2020, around 2 lakh cases were reported, and about 9,000 fatalities have been recorded. World health organisation has declared Covid-19 to be a pandemic after assessing the threat posed by it. 

How is it spreading and affecting people

In the past, coronavirus disease, namely SARS and MERS, was caused by coming into contact with an infected animal. However, Covid-19, even though it may have originated from animals,is being transmitted from human to human. It is spread either via the droplets discharged when an infected person coughs or sneezes or by coming into close contact with them through aerosols. It includes – 

  • Via handshakes

  • By hugging or kissing someone

  • Eating and drinking from the same utensils

  • Being within a 3 feet distance of an infected person

The coronavirus infection can also spread through saliva. As per the preliminary information released by WHO, the virus can stay alive on surfaces for a few hours. Hence, if a healthy person touches a contaminated surface like a doorknob,cellphone etc. then he or she can also get affected. 

There were also some cases where the virus has been detected in the faeces of Covid-19 infected individuals. As of now, there is no known risk of the virus being transmitted viafaeces of the infected individual, however. People over the age of 60, pregnant women, young children and individuals, with low body immunity, heart problems, respiratory problems etc. are more susceptible to the risks posed by coronavirus infection.

Symptoms

The early coronavirus symptoms are similar to the flu or common cold. An individual usually exhibits the symptoms 2-4 days after coming in contact with coronavirus or in some cases after 14 days. These may include the following – 

  • Difficulty in breathing

  • High fever

  • Runny nose

  • Cough

  • Sneezing

  • Sore throat

  • Fatigue 

  • Whole-body ache

  • Diarrhoea

If you are exhibiting some the above symptoms and you or anyone who you have been in close contact with has recently travelled to high-risk areas, then you need to get in touch with a medical advisor immediately. 

Preventive approach 

Coronavirus vaccine or any cure has not been discovered yet. If there are children at your home, you have to take extra precaution to make sure your children’s physical health is stable. However, the World Health Organisation has prescribed several preventive steps that one can implement to reduce the chances of getting contaminated. The coronavirus prevention steps are as follows –

Step 1: Socially distancing yourself from others to reduce exposure.

Step 2: Washing hands with soap as often as possible.

Step 3: Carrying a hand sanitiser with 60% alcohol where washing with soap is not possible.

Step 4: Avoidt ouching your face, eyes and nose with unclean hands.

Step 5: Avoid large gathering and limit engaging in non-essential activities.

What the Government of India is doing to check the spread of Covid-19

The number of confirmed cases in India was around 180 by 19th march, 2020 along with four death cases. Nonetheless, the Indian government is taking significant steps to contain the spread of novel coronavirus disease. These include – 

  • Conducting thermal screening at international airports.

  • Any citizen returning from high-risk countries are quarantined for 14 days.

  • Schools, colleges and universities have been closed till March 31.

  • Private-sector employers are being encouraged to allow their employees to work from home if possible.

  • Advising citizens to avoid non-essential travel.

 

Besides these measures, the government took any other brave initiative to contain the virus’s spread. On 19th March, PM Shri Narendra Modi called for a “Janta Karfu” on Sunday. The public curfew would be actionable from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

How parents can deal with the lockdown

As the number of confirmed coronavirus infection cases arise in India, the government is encouraging the citizens to practise social distancing. It means that staying at home with your children and not going out except for emergencies and essential reasons only. In such a case, you as a parent need to implement measures to keep your children occupied and happy at the same time.

  • Have a family meeting – This is the first step that you need to take. Call a family meeting and explain to your children what is coronavirus and why is it essential for them to stay inside. Children will co-operate more once they understand the reasons behind social distancing.You can also use this meeting to discuss with your older children on the best ways to manage the situation and ask them for ideas.

  • Make a schedule – It is crucial to maintain a routine as much as possible to avoid confusions and chaos at home. Additionally, since schools and colleges are shut down due to coronavirus infection, you need to schedule study time at home so that your child does not spend the whole time playing video game sor Netflixing.If you and your spouse have to go to work, you can consider our app. It will enable your child to continue with their studies from the convenience and safety of their home.

In the schedule, 

Plan fun activities with your child  – It is best not to allow your child to go out to play to avoid the risk of contamination from coronavirus infection. However, disallowance to play alongside school shutdown can have a severe impact on them. Consequently, you can set up playdates or sleepovers for your children with one or two friends of theirs. Nonetheless, you must take adequate measures to ensure that there will be no risk of contamination. Apart from that, you and your spouse also need to set aside some time to spend with your child. Take out those board games or schedule a family movie night.

Since kids are not getting their usual playtime, you need to think of other ways to keep your child physically fit. Physical fitness will also aid in improving immunity which will reduce the risk of getting coronavirus infection. Hence, you should set aside some time everyday to exercise or do yoga with your child.

Encourage your child to learn a new skill – As a parent, you should see to it that your child stays on par with his/her education. Apart from that, you should also encourage your child to utilise this time to learn a new skill. This skill can be anything – learning a new language, learning to play any instrument, or trying their hand at cooking. Furthermore, if your child has a hobby, you should encourage them to focus on it too, especially since the pressure of schoolwork is less. It will challenge and keep them engaged. 

Help them to do simple science experiments – During the lockdown, you can help your child to carry out some simple science experiments. It will prove to be a fun learning experience for them. 

How is vendantu helping parents and students during this coronavirus lockdown

During this coronavirus infection pandemic, all educational institutes are shut down to reduce exposure to the virus. The government of India is also encouraging online education. Consequently, we at vedantu are determined to help students carry on with their education from the safety of their homes. With Vedantu, they can choose to learn from anywhere and at any time as per their convenience.

 Keeping in mind, the emergency due to coronavirus, we are offering free access to all our online courses for students of classes 6 to 12. Besides that, we are also offering online coaching for students appearing for NEET and JEE. Our online courses consist of live classes, test series, doubt solving sessions, study materials for all topics from all subjects and more to help students stay ahead of the curve. Now keep your child's preparation undeterred with our study material and NCERT Solutions Class 1 to 12 all subjects available on Vedantu site. 

Our online classroom has been designed so that students can experience a healthy learning environment as well as interact. For this purpose, our digital platform offers several features like – 

  • In-class quizzes – this feature has been added to aid students learn in a fun manner.

  • Leaderboard – this will encourage your child to push themselves and perform better.

 

Download our app today to accelerate your kid’s learning process!