• Don’t panic – Keep calm and limit your contact with others
• Practise social distancing – keep your family at home
• Work from home if you are able to
• Wash your hands often, for 20 seconds, with soap and water
• Don’t touch your face if you have not washed your hands
• Carry hand sanitiser with you and use it often
• Empower yourself with knowledge to help beat the disease

Older people and those with chronic conditions are at higher risk of suffering complications if they are diagnosed with COVID-19. Learn more about what you should do to protect yourself.

• Close contact is not only limited to touching others. If you share a small room with someone for more than 15 minutes with no personal safety equipment, that is deemed as close contact.
• Direct contact with the virus can occur if someone coughs or breathes tiny droplets onto you while you are not wearing any protective clothing.

New information about how the virus spreads is coming to light every day. Here is what we know so far about how the coronavirus is most commonly spread:

1.  Air – This is the most common way the disease is spread. When someone infected with the disease sneezes and coughs, it enters the air. If you breathe in this air, you will be infected.

2.  Close contact - Close contact is not only limited to touching others. If you share a small room with someone for more than 15 minutes with no personal safety equipment, this is close contact.

3.  Touch – If you touch a surface that has the virus on it and then touch your nose, mouth or eyes, the virus is transferred.

• Avoid large groups of people at social gathering, funerals and public events
• Keep a distance of at least 2 meters from other people
• Don’t shake hands, kiss or hug other people
• Work from home if you are able to and avoid contact with colleagues
• Keep your children at home and away from social and sporting events
• Stay away from your friends and family if you are sick