How Can I Cut My Risk of Getting COVID if I Live in an Apartment?   

In the past two years, governments have enforced laws for people and returning travelers to get home-quarantined for a couple of days, or for people to home isolate for a couple of months. Now, if you live in an apartment and have to go out for groceries and other important tasks, you need to reduce the risk of infection, especially since you have other people living with you.   

There have been reported cases of COVID spread among people sharing confined spaces and that includes apartment spaces. While there are house cleaning services Pittsburgh PA that are effective to remove bacteria and viruses, you still need to do your role and responsibilities.  

The following are the things you can do to avoid getting covid even if you live in an apartment:  

1. Always watch out for garbage area and laundry – living in the apartment means shared equipment when it comes to doing laundry and garbage spaces. Shared gyms, laundries, and indoor garbage areas are risky spaces especially when your apartment does not have proper ventilation.  

The best thing you can do is to arrange a route that gives people in the apartment access at a certain time and ensure that there is at least an hour elapsed in between. Also, you can have a combined washer-dryer in the bathroom or kitchen. This can be a good investment since we can expect that pandemic is far to end.   

2. Do not go to poorly ventilated spaces – you have a greater chance to catch the COVID virus when you are in a poorly ventilated area since the air continues circulating within the space. At least wear your mask when you go to these spaces. Or better yet, ensure that your space contains good ventilation and is regularly cleaned and sanitized. 
3. Always wear your mask before opening the door on your way out. A lot of people wear masks but the timing is also necessary. Before you opened the door to the outside, make sure that you already have worn your gear, in this case, your mask. Wear this mask even when just receiving deliveries or letting in some guests and visitors.  
4. Ask about the elevator – as an occupant, you have the right to ask for the lift or elevator’s health protocols and even suggest some things. Ask for the capacity of the elevator and ask if a purifier can be installed inside.  
5. care about if you smell your neighbor’s cooking dish – the reason why you are able to smell their dishes’ aroma is that you two are sharing air. This can be equated to what we call air leakage. Take note of this and do necessary interventions. You can install a HEPA air purifier in your room to reduce the risk, and advice your neighboring room to do the same. You can even seal up the wall or door with an adhesive material to block off the air leakage.  
6. Do regular cleaning – cleaning with antibacterial soaps can reduce the risk of infection. Always schedule cleaning within your room.