Today, Tuesday April 7th, is World Health Day, commemorating the birth of the World Health Organisation in 1948. This year celebrations marking the anniversary are, of course, marked by the current battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. At this moment in time Spain is the country with the second highest number of confirmed cases (135,032), and the second highest number of deaths (13,055), but also second highest number of people who have been cured of Covid-19 (40, 437). And what is hugely important that we continue to respect the current quarantine measures
Given the health emergency we are all dealing with, the Adeje councillor for health, qualified doctor Amada Trujillo Bencomo, said, “we have to realise that our health is the most valuable thing we have and we have to care for it; it is essential to continue to commit to the social commitment we have made and that we continue to stay at home and avoid any further spread of the coronavirus”.
Staying at home is one of the best ways of stopping the spread of the virus, along with properly washing our hands, maintaining a distance of at least 2 metres between ourselves and other people, the use of disposable tissues when sneezing or coughing, and the use of a mask.
“Confinement is necessary to avoid infecting ourselves with Covid 19, though it is a measure that has disrupted our lives as we know”, said the councillor, who reiterated, “and is it essential during this time that we also care for our physical and mental health”.
For this reason the World Health Organisation has outlined a series of recommendations geared towards the upkeep of our mental health and our physical well being; establish and stick to a healthy and nutritious diet, which helps keep your immune system keep in good shape and functioning properly; limit your consumption of alcohol; avoid sugary drinks.
Don’t smoke as this can increase the risk of developing a serious illness if you do become infected with Covid-19. Exercise at home, for between 30 – 150 minutes a day for adults and one hour a day for kids. Dance, do yoga, go up and down the stairs, all this will help keep you in better physical shape.
For those people who are working from home, probably online, it is recommended that you don’t sit in the same position for long periods of time. Get up and take a three minute break every half an hour.
Look after your mental health. It’s normal to feel stressed, confused and frightened during a crisis. It is important to keep to routines and daily duties –work, family, leisure time. Do things you like – reading, listening to music, playing games with the family. Avoid over-informing yourself about the Covid-19 issue, or watching too much news that will simply add to your anxiety. If you need to talk to friends and family for reassurance do so. Eat and sleep well.
Finally the councillor underlined the fact that “we can stop this virus together, and by looking after each other.”
