I feel that the first thing we can do to help each other is looking after ourselves, which is not hard to do. We shouldn’t be minding about others’ businesses when we can’t even mind our own. In order to achieve this, we only need to follow three rules: staying indoors and physically distancing ourselves from friends, relatives, and people in general, wearing masks, and staying healthy.

I cannot stress more about the importance of wearing masks, especially in this pandemic. It is the easiest thing for people to do to protect themselves from the virus, but many of us do not seem to see its benefits. I believe it isn’t fully the people’s fault, but the differences in the numerous cultures we have in this world. For example, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Koreans are all used to wearing masks, and they even have a mask culture, and yes you heard me, a “mask culture.” These people were already using masks way before the Coronavirus appeared. This habit started long ago when the SARS virus hit these countries hard. As a lesson from previous experiences, they now wear masks whenever they are sick or feeling unwell, and this is extremely important as it notifies others about ones’ state of health and helps to prevent the spread of diseases. Therefore, some people are already used to wearing masks, whereas lots of others aren’t, for example, Singaporeans and the majority population of the Western countries. I strongly believe that our communities should learn from each others’ experiences, as we can prevent the same mistakes done before and strengthen the solution to this pandemic. Wearing masks when going out may cause you to sweat and itch a bit, but it could be a lifesaver for both yourself and the others around you.

Second, staying healthy seems no big deal for most people at the moment. However, are we really in a healthy state right now? Well, it depends, and the answer is more likely to be a no, as we are basically self-quarantined in our homes and could not go out or whatsoever. In other words, our physical activity is greatly reduced. Whilst some people are willing to exercise in their homes, doing yoga and fitness sets, we know that lots of us are either watching Netflix or surfing on the internet instead. In my personal opinion, in order to compensate for this missing physical activity, we should try doing some exercises so that our bodies won’t weaken from inactivity. According to online researches exercises, there is actually no reliable evidence saying that exercises make us healthier, but it does reduce our stress levels. Staying indoor could really affect our mood and state of mind. Being basically imprisoned in an apartment or house for a few days could really drive people off their minds, and exercising could be a great relief to this. On the other hand, living style is also a vital key to staying healthy, and most people forget about this. I believe that the least reminded thing amongst all the medical experts’ recommendations is sleep schedule! Taking myself as an example, I could sometimes get so bored to a certain point where I stay awake until midnight (2-3 a.m.). As a result, I woke up at middays and got nothing done (e.g. Studies and exercises). This also somewhat took away my motivation in doing many things. In conclusion, I believe it is crucial for us to follow a set of rules in order to stay healthy so that we can be prepared to face the virus.

Third, social distancing is probably the most spoken topic in reducing the spread of the pandemic. The Cornoravirus is highly infectious and can spread unexpectedly quickly in closed spaces (less than 10 minutes to fully spread in a regular classroom). I do not think I need to further explain this, as it has been clearly explained by many doctors and medical professionals (here is a link to how to correctly social distance one from another – (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/social-distancing.html). Staying indoor is definitely a loss to us as many things are no longer possible for us to do. However, this doesn’t mean there isn’t anything that we can do. In fact, this could be a time for us to reflect on our personal goals, future plans, and pasts as well. We could also utilize this period of time to catch up with things we missed before or learning new knowledge and exploring new things. One thing I spent my time on during self-quarantine is planning ahead for my college applications, and I think this is a really great way for people at my age to spend these extra time. If you aren’t a student, try cooking food for yourself or your family!