The recommendations of the CDC and other agencies is to socially isolate. By doing that, the hope is you reduce the risk of catching the disease and flattening the curve.

We’ve heard things like not going to restaurants and other places, but there is more we could be doing. In fact, there are many overlooked things we could be doing.

Clean Your Phone

We use our phones for everything now. We use it for texts, Twitter, Instagram, shopping, emails, playing games, and just about anything which comes to mind including making phone calls.

If you’re out and about, clean your phone. Remember the virus is airborne and it can live on surfaces for hours and days. It’s better to just clean that phone you constantly touch and occasionally put up to your face.

Consider Your Garbageman

For nearly everyone, garbage collection is on Monday. This leaves them going house-to-house touching your garbage pails and oft times your garbage bags.

According to studies, the virus could stay on surfaces for days. That can include a garbage pail.

A garbageman could then get it and spread it to other employees and people he sees along his route. Keeping that in mind, wash down your pail lids and handles.

Also, only put your garbage to the curb if you need. If your pail isn’t full, wait for the next day. Lastly, keep your pails outside during the daytime as there’s some evidence UV rays could kill the virus.

Put Your Mail On Hold

Recently, there were articles suggesting you shouldn’t put your mail on hold, but part of the justification was to avoid living your life in fear. As time passes and cases grow, we probably should lead our lives a little more in fear.

If you don’t need your mail, put it on hold. Wait a few weeks and reassess. Between the viruses inability to live on surfaces and you not being able to know if your mail carrier has it, it’s best just to avoid the human contact, no matter how remote.

Pump Your Own Gas

The gas station attendant comes into many, many people during the day. As the disease spreads, chances of exposure increase exponentially.

By pumping your own gas, you’re not talking with someone who is closer than six feet away. Just remember to wipe down the handle before you touch it.

Call Stores Ahead of Time

If you absolutely need to go to a store, you should be going at a time when fewer people are there. However, with more people practicing that strategy and all the people working from home, it’s hard to know anymore what time that would be.

With that being the case, call ahead to see how busy the store is. Better yet, call ahead to see if they can put the items you need aside at customer service. This allows you to walk in and out with minimal contact.

If you call and no one picks up, chances are the store is busy.

Use Credit, Not Cash

This virus lives on surfaces for days. That would include money. If you need to go out and purchase something, use credit.

With credit, you can just insert your card into a machine. With cash, you’re touching the same money s potentially sick person touched and infected.

Be a Bad Friend

Avoid all birthday parties, weddings, funerals, and any other social occasions which occur until we get past this epidemic. As much as it may pain you to miss those events, fact is by going to that you run the risk of infection and/or spreading it to others.

Stay Healthy

Social isolation does not require you to be a coach potato. Make sure you keep exercising. If you’re in the suburbs, go out for a walk (while remembering the six feet rule). If you see someone, it’s alright to cross the street to avoid them.

No one can guarantee you won’t get the disease. That said, your best way of fighting the disease if you ever get it is to be strong and healthy. It gives you your best chance.

Keep in mind, staying healthy also includes your mental health. If there are things you need to do to reduce anxiety and/or feel safe, do them. Just make sure you try to limit as much human contact as you possibly can.

Pester Your Public Officials

One minute, Mayor DeBlasio is riding the subway telling you it’s safe and not to panic. Weeks later, he’s shutting down the city telling you to avoid everything.

This wasn’t a sudden epiphany he had. No, like most public officials, he had to be pushed into doing what needed to be done.

If your city or town isn’t doing things to keep you safe, pester them. Reach out to your neighbors (via text or social media) to get them to join you. Keep calling and emailing until you can’t be ignored any longer.

General Rule

Sit down and think about everything you do. Get your mail; throw out your trash. Everything.

When you think about those things, think about the chain. Does someone at some point come in contact with your personally or the object in question?

If so, avoid those activities. If you can’t, wipe down those objects or places if you can.

Overall, the general rule is to avoid contact with people not in your house and to clean everything that might’ve come into contact with someone.

It’s not perfect, but it’s the best chance you have of avoiding COVID19 and flattening the curve.