Dubai: Do you know how to practise “safe shopping”? How can you strengthen your immunity? The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has taken to Instagram to educate residents on coronavirus precautions.
Guidelines on “safe shopping”:
From their official Instagram handle @dha_dubai, the health authority uploaded an eight-slide multiple picture post educating residents on what they should and shouldn’t do when buying groceries or going to the pharmacy.
According to their advice, residents must “only go out to buy essential supplies”. They must “observe all safety precautions before leaving the house”, and should wear gloves and a face mask.
Choosing the right time to shop is essential. According to their post, residents must “avoid peak and crowded times” and they should “use online delivery services wherever possible".
When shopping in a grocery store, residents should “sanitise the handle of your shopping cart or shopping basket”, and then sanitise your hands. The directive also asks residents to be “patient and stay in line to get food items”.
People are being advised to “shop alone to reduce the number of people in the store”, which will also help people achieve “physical distancing”. Shoppers must maintain a “physical distance of at least two meters between you and other customers and cashiers”.
Hoarding of items should be avoided and only necessities should be bought, which includes medicines.
A credit card or a debit card should replace using banknotes. The customer must “sanitise the card” and their hands after making payments.
The directive also encouraged residents to sanitise all purchases and disposing off the shopping bags to avoid the spread of germs. Residents must wash their hands properly after.
How can you strengthen your immunity?
While keeping clean and disinfecting surrounding areas is important, eating right and building immunity should not be neglected.
In another directive uploaded on Instagram, the DHA discussed boosting one’s immunity and its importance in preventing COVID-19.
In their post, the DHA highlights that based on current research and what has been documented, “COVID-19 infection occurs in older people and those with chronic disease”. The disease is said to be “mild and moderate in others”.
They added that the “body’s immune system develops and strengthens as a result of nurture and care” over different stages of a person’s life. However, there are ways to boost immunity.
The DHA listed practices that could help, which includes maintaining balanced nutrition, consuming immune-boosting foods like antioxidants and probiotics, avoiding stress and smoking, getting enough sleep and getting vaccinated.
The post also stated that boosting one’s immunity along with following all precautionary measures like washing hands regularly, wearing gloves and a facemask, will help fight the spread of coronavirus.
Current cases of COVID-19 in UAE:
According to latest numbers, there are currently 3,360 total cases of coronavirus in the country. Around 150 patients also recovered, as per Friday's announcement, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 418.
