What If I Need to Self-Quarantine?
Many of us may have questions about the ever-evolving situation involving the COVID-19 pandemic. For questions that have to do with epilepsy and seizures, we are here to help.
In today’s blog post, we will go over answers to the question “What if I need to self-quarantine?”
Before we go into this information, we wanted to let you know that the BC Ministry of Health has developed an online assessment tool that will tell you what you need to do based on your symptoms. You can check out the BC COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool here.
Self-quarantining is important for people who:
- Have a confirmed case of COVID-19
- Have symptoms of COVID-19
- Have recently returned from travel
- Have had close contact or recent interactions with a sick individual
When self-quarantining, you must avoid going out in public and stay at home for a period of 14 days, trying to remain in one room, if possible, to prevent spread to others.
If you have epilepsy and need to self-quarantine, it is important to ensure that you update your seizure action/response plan and talk to your healthcare provider about getting an extra supply of any medications you use for your epilepsy to last for the entire 14-day self-quarantine period.
Check out some of our essential tips for self-quarantine below:
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water to prevent the spread of germs
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throw that tissue into the trash immediately
- If you live with others, if possible, have each person use separate a separate room and bathroom
- Try to keep at least 2 meters away from others in the household
- Avoid sharing household items and ensure items are washed thoroughly, including dishes, cups, eating utensils, towels, bedding or other items
- Clean frequently touched surfaces every day with a household cleaning spray or a disinfecting wipe, including countertops, tables, door handles, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, computers, tablets and bedside tables
- Look into home delivery of items you need, such as groceries, food, etc. and try a no-contact delivery option, so the order can be left at their doorstep without having to answer the door, which avoids putting delivery workers and customers in direct physical contact
- Ask your work/school about alternatives, such as a work-from-home model or online classes
- Stay in touch with family, friends and loved ones through phone calls, texts, email or FaceTime/Skype
- Ensure that someone is able to check up on you using one of the above methods, if needed
With self-quarantine can often come boredom. You can find ways to cope, such as crafting or journaling, doing a deep clean of your house, organizing your closet, listening to music or reading books or magazines, among others. If you like going out and doing fun things in your community, you can try doing a virtual tour of a museum or a national park. If you like going to the gym or yoga studio to work out, you can try an at-home workout. Just search for what you’re looking for on YouTube and you will find a ton of great options, including ones that use no equipment and ones for beginners.
With self-quarantine can also often come isolation as you are sometimes completely alone. If something you like to do is watch movies and TV shows wth friends, you can try the Google Chrome extension, Netflix Party. With this, you can get together with friends to watch Netflix on separate computers at the same time. The extension even comes with a chat room function so you can share your reactions as you watch. All you need is a Netflix subscription, a Google Chrome browser and the extension. Click here to download the Netflix Party Google Chrome extension. Once you have downloaded it, you can then log in to your Netflix account on your computer and choose a TV show or movie on Netflix to watch. Launch the Netflix Party extension and send a link to your friends to start your Netflix party. This is a great way to still have essential social interaction during self-quarantine!
We hope that the information contained in this blog has helped to answer some of your questions. For more information on COVID-19, check out our blog post on the subject here. Up-to-date information can be found from the Government of Canada here.