Holi 2020: 5 preventive steps to avoid coronavirus and other infections

• Holi is a festival of colours and is celebrated with friends and family.
• The reported and confirmed cases of coronavirus are increasing all around the world, including India.
• Here is how to keep yourself safe from coronavirus, and other infections during Holi celebrations.

New Delhi: Holi is being celebrated on the 9th and 10th of March, this year. Holi is a festival of colours and is celebrated with friends and family. People get together and eat, sing songs, dance, and play with colours. However, given the rapid spread of coronavirus, which has reached India as well, people are apprehensive about playing Holi this year, and going for Holi meetups.

However, you must not let the worry spoil the festival. Of course, the risk of contracting any kind of infection is high in large public crowds and places, but a little prevention can help you have fun, and avoid contraction of infections such as the COVID-19.

5 preventive steps to avoid contraction of coronavirus, other infections:

1. Fold your hands, don’t shake them: Holi is a Hindu festival, and there can be no better way of greeting people than folding your hands, and saying Namaste. Shaking hands, and physical contact with people is not recommended when such a viral outbreak is happening.
2. This Holi, let’s not colour our faces: The chances of a virus entering our body are high when our hands come in contact with a contaminated surface or object, and we touch our face, mouth, nose, eyes, etc, with those hands. The virus can also be picked up by other people and may get transferred to our face when they apply colour. Therefore, this Holi, let us all colour our hands, and not each other’s faces to mark the celebrations.
3. Carry a hand sanitizer: It is very important to wash your hands frequently, or use an alcohol-based sanitizer to clean your hands, every once in a while. Since Holi celebrations take place in a public space, it can be difficult to wash your hands frequently. Make sure you carry a sanitizer and use it frequently to avoid catching an infection.
4. Be mindful of what you eat: Apart from the fact that the snacks prepared during Holi are fried, and very high in calories, it is also important to be sure of how they were stored. When Holi parties are conducted in banquets, etc, the snacks might not be stored very hygienically. Be mindful of what you eat, and how it is kept to keep the risk of infections to a minimum.
5. Cover your mouth and nose: There is no harm in covering your mouth and nose with a mask at the Holi celebrations. While the use of masks is only recommended for people who have symptoms of an infection -like sneezing and coughing, so that the droplets released from their sneezes or coughs do not get transferred to the surfaces nearby, wearing the mask will help reduce the number of people who touch your face, and will also keep you from touching your face.