To us average citizens, keeping ourselves safe from Covid-19 involves wearing face masks and washing our hands a little more with soap.
But for people battling the pandemic on the frontline, good hygiene practices are much more complicated. Especially since they deal directly with patients confirmed to have the coronavirus, staying safe requires more than just washing their hands.
A Singapore paramedic, Mr Burhan, took to Facebook to shed some light on how healthcare workers disinfect at home after their shift.
In his post on Friday (10 Apr), he shares his daily cleansing ritual that keeps his wife and daughter safe.
Fair warning, it’s extensive, but this is testament to the lengths healthcare workers go to to ensure the safety of their loved ones.
Step 1 starts even before Mr Burhan reaches home.
From his house carpark, he texts his wife about his impending arrival. This is the signal for her to prepare his clothing, bath towel, and an assortment of disinfection solutions for when he reaches home.
Everything is arranged in close proximity to “minimise cross contamination in the house”.
Source
Mr Burhan’s wife also switches off the fan and air conditioning so that the virus cannot circulate in the air.
Then, she barricades herself in a room with their daughter.
Upon stepping into his house, Mr Burhan heads straight for the shower.
He says,
The moment you enter your house, this is when the virus from your clothes starts to drop on the floor.
Besides washing himself, he also washes his clothes that have been in contact with patients.
However, this proves to be a gut-wrenching struggle if his daughter is still awake. Hearing her call out “PAPA” awakens the fatherly feels in him, and all he wants to do is make a beeline to her room and hug her after his long 12-hour shift.
But Mr Burhan toughs it out and starts on the next step of disinfection instead.
After working a 12-hour shift, showering, and washing your clothes while having to ignore your daughter, the last thing one would want to do is mop.
But that is exactly what Mr Burhan does, in the name of keeping his family safe.
Source
Beside mopping the floor, he also wipes the dining table and most importantly, door handles. This is done from the least to most contaminated areas.
Meanwhile, his wife is stalks him via CCTV to monitor his progress.
To Mr Burhan, he is first and foremost, a father. Hence, he doesn’t skimp on time spent with his child.
After his cleaning, he washes his hands one more time before entering his daughter’s bedroom.
Making sure to affectionately call out to her, he then plays with her till she falls asleep.
As the virus cannot be seen with the naked eye, Mr Burhan reminds others to be more careful, and ensure proper cleanliness and hygiene to protect loved ones.
Although healthcare workers have already earned our collective admiration, Mr Burhan’s story helps us see them in a whole new light.
It is startlingly obvious that extensively good hygiene doesn’t stop with their shift, but spills over into their personal lives as well.
Let’s do all healthcare workers a favour and take care of ourselves so that they can take their well deserved break soon.
Follow Mr Burhan’s advice: Stay home and avoid all crowded places.
Featured image adapted from Facebook and Microfiber Wholesale.
Tong Aik Huat also sold a winning ticket for the 21 Oct draw.
The seller was soured by the experience with Mercari, saying the platform only provided compensation…
The woman walked away naturally despite the boxes between her thighs.
He was allegedly last seen on 11 Nov.
The leopard reportedly jumped off the truck once it saw zoo staff approaching.
The trailer driver made a V sign for the media while being escorted to the…