Health Advise for COVID-19

The public should go out less and reduce social activities, and maintain appropriate social distance with other people as far as possible.

• Do not travel to Hubei Province of Mainland China where there is widespread community transmission of COVID-19 virus.
• Avoid unnecessary travel to Korea (especially Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do where the majority of the cases were reported).
• When travelling to countries/areas with active community transmission of COVID-19 virus, the public should avoid close contact with persons with fever or respiratory symptoms. If it is unavoidable to come into contact with them, put on a surgical mask and continue to do so until 14 days after returning to Hong Kong.
• After returning to Hong Kong, consult a doctor promptly if experiencing a fever or other symptoms, take the initiative to inform the doctor of any recent travel history and any exposure to animals, and wear a surgical mask to help prevent spread of the disease.
• Avoid touching animals (including game), poultry / birds or their droppings.
• Avoid visiting wet markets, live poultry markets or farms.
• Do not consume game meat and do not patronise food premises where game meat is served.

Maintain good personal hygiene

• Wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask.
• Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose.
• Keep hands clean at all times. Perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching your mouth, nose or eyes; before eating; after using the toilet; after touching public installations such as handrails or door knobs; or when hands are contaminated by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing.
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water, and rub for at least 20 seconds. Then rinse with water and dry with a disposable paper towel.
• If hand washing facilities are not available, or when hands are not visibly soiled, performing hand hygiene with 70% to 80% alcohol-based handrub is an effective alternative.
• Cover your nose and mouth with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Do not spit or litter. Use tissue paper to hold your spit. Dispose of the soiled tissues into a lidded rubbish bin, and then wash hands thoroughly.
• After using the toilet, put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs.
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending class at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly.
• N95 respirators are generally not recommended for use by the general public in community settings because special training is required for proper wearing and removal of the mask. Otherwise the infective risk due to inadequate protection and contamination may be ironically increased.
• Avoid going to crowded places with poor ventilation if you are feeling unwell.

Maintain good environmental hygiene

• Maintain good indoor ventilation.
• Home should be cleaned thoroughly at least once per week with 1 in 99 diluted household bleach (mixing 10 ml of bleach containing 5.25% sodium hypochlorite with 990 ml of water), leave for 15 – 30 minutes and then rinse with water. For metallic surface, disinfect with 70% alcohol.
• If places are contaminated by respiratory secretions, vomitus or excreta, use strong absorbent disposable towels to clean up the visible matter. Then disinfect the surface and the neighbouring area with appropriate disinfectant. For non-metallic surface, disinfect with 1 in 49 diluted household bleach (mixture of 10ml of household bleach containing 5.25% hypochlorite solution with 490ml of water), leave for 15 – 30 minutes, and then rinse with water. For metallic surface, disinfect with 70% alcohol.
• Maintain drainage pipes properly and regularly (about once a week) pour about half a litre of water into each drain outlet (U-traps), to ensure environmental hygiene. For details, please refer to https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/make_sure_the_trap_is_not_dry.pdf

Maintain healthy lifestyle

• Build up good body resistance and maintain healthy lifestyle. This can be achieved through balanced diet, regular exercise and adequate rest.
• Do not smoke and avoid alcohol consumption.