coronavirus / COVID-19

Protect yourself and others from COVID-19
If COVID-19 is spreading in your community, protect yourself by taking a few simple precautions, such as maintaining physical distance from others, wearing a mask, ventilating rooms well, avoiding gatherings, washing your hands, and coughing in your room. bent elbow or handkerchief. Follow local recommendations where you live and work. Do it all!

What to do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19
Keep a distance of at least one meter between you and others to reduce the risk of infection when you cough, sneeze or speak. Keep an even greater distance between yourself and others when you are indoors. The further away you are, the better.
Consider wearing a mask as normal when you are with other people. In order for masks to be as effective as possible, it is essential that they are worn, stored, and washed or disposed of properly.
Here are some essential points how to wear a mask:

Wash your hands before putting on your mask, as well as before and after taking it off.
Make sure it covers your nose, mouth, and chin at the same time.
When you take your mask off, place it in a clean plastic bag and wash it every day, if it's a sheet mask, or throw it in a trash can if it's a medical mask.
Do not use masks with exhalation valves.

For more advice on masks, read our Q&A on the subject and watch the videos we offer. You can also refer to the questions and answers on masks and children.

To learn more about how the COVID-19 virus infects people and how our bodies respond, watch or read this interview - in English.

For specific advice for policymakers, please consult the WHO technical guidance.

How to make your environment safer
Avoid confined, busy spaces where you will be in close contact with other people.
Outbreaks have been reported in restaurants, choirs, exercise classes, nightclubs, offices and places of worship where people congregate in crowded enclosed spaces where they speak loudly, shout, breathe deeply or sing.
The risks of contracting COVID-19 are higher in crowded and insufficiently ventilated spaces where infected people spend long periods together in close proximity. It is in these environments that the virus appears to be spread most effectively by respiratory droplets or aerosols, hence the importance of taking all precautions.
If you find other people, do it outside. Outdoor gatherings are safer than indoor gatherings, especially if the indoor spaces are small and lack ventilation from the outside.
For more information on how to organize events such as family reunions, kids' football games, or other family gathering occasions, read our Q&A on Small Public Gatherings.
Avoid busy places or indoor spaces, but if you can't help it, take precautions:
Open a window. Increase the volume of "natural ventilation" when you are indoors.
The WHO has published questions and answers on ventilation and air conditioning for both the general public and those who manage public spaces and buildings.
Wear a mask (see above for details).
Remember the basic principles of good hygiene
Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with a hydroalcoholic solution or with soap and water. This helps kill germs, including viruses that may be on your hands.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Hands touch many surfaces and can come in contact with the virus there. Once infected, your hands can carry the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and make you sick.

If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with the bend of your elbow or with a tissue. Immediately throw away the used tissue in a garbage can with a lid and wash your hands. By following the rules of respiratory hygiene, you protect the people around you from viruses such as those that cause colds, the flu or COVID-19.

Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently, especially those that are touched regularly, like doorknobs, faucets, and phone screens.
Stay home if you are not feeling well
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