The best way to overcome the pandemic is to work together as a community. Everyone should do their part to stay safe and healthy. As a community leader, you can also make some changes and improvements to help the residents in your neighborhood. Every action you do can encourage people to stay in their homes and prevent themselves from being infected.
When preparing for a pandemic, it should not just be a one-time or short-term solution. These actions can benefit your community for months, and they can be used for future natural disasters and pandemics.
Have accessible community updates
Communication is one of the most important things to have during a pandemic. People need to know what is going on so that they can make the necessary preparations in their homes. If there are any advancements on the vaccines, it is good to stay informed as well. Similarly, some neighbors have the right to know if there are increasing cases in their local hospitals.
Community boards and regular announcements are good, but during a pandemic, you want to limit gatherings between people as much as possible. That is why the existence of online forums and applications is important. It allows you to send messages directly to their devices. For those that are often busy or not often socializing, this can benefit them as well.
When creating these apps, you have to make sure that they are compatible with all devices. That means having a group app for Android and iOS. Though, getting apps put on the Apple shop is a bit of a hassle. What you can do is find alternatives such as Viber or Facebook groups.
Set up help centers
There will likely be people in your community who would need additional assistance. It is either they are senior citizens who live alone, people with disabilities, or are immunocompromised. These people cannot simply go out to the grocery or the doctor as they please. You can help them by putting up help centers in your area for them.
Some people need maintenance medication or regular checkups for their health problems. However, going to a hospital is not an option right now. In your community centers, you can ask nurses and volunteers with medical training to assist. Others may need access to supplies that are not readily available in their immediate area. You can do your part by helping them get groceries and supplies that they can’t.
The pandemic has definitely affected every person, and everyone’s mental health is affected. Some people cannot get access to antidepressants and other treatments necessary. Demand for therapy and counseling is also increasing. In fact, mental health services said they experienced a 52 percent increase in demand since the pandemic.
Limit access to certain roads
As a community, you have to think about the safety of the residents in it. Thus, restricting the number of passersby is necessary. It would be best to close down some roads to prevent outsiders from potentially bringing in the virus in your community. Other cities have already started closing some streets to pedestrians. They also reduce the available lanes on streets, which adds more space for social distancing.
If you don’t want to close roads, then you can consider setting up a curfew. This can keep people from getting infected by others without disrupting their lives. Experts say that when implemented properly, a curfew can help curb the spread of the virus. It has to end at a reasonable hour that takes into consideration people who are working.
Although it feels restrictive, these rules are for the benefit of the residents inside. When roads are closed to cars, residents can freely exercise or roam outside without worrying about a stranger bringing the virus in.
Close off recreational facilities
New strains of the pandemic are popping up, so it may not be safe to open playgrounds and pools yet. These places are known to attract many people, and even more, they would likely come after being confined for so long. It is also tough to tell people to maintain their distance in these kinds of facilities. Your best bet would be to close them indefinitely.
Playgrounds and pools are areas where it cannot be helped that people will be near each other. However, you can have parks open because the space is more open. It is also easier to control the number of people who enter. Open spaces have much better air circulation, which can reduce your chances of catching the virus.
Implementing these ideas can help prevent the possible transmission of the virus in your location. Take the necessary steps to ensure that everyone is safe and healthy.
