We must bear in mind that, much to our regret, the pandemic continues to advance unstoppably, not only in Spain, but throughout the world. It should be borne in mind that there are two ways in which the disease spreads: contact with those small and almost invisible drops that an infected person expels by coughing or sneezing. And, on the other hand, contact with contaminated objects or surfaces. Many times we are not aware that simply by touching an element infected with the virus with the hand and then putting the hand to the nose or mouth, the virus has already entered our body.

Therefore, if you have knowledge that a roommate is infected, you should stay in your room in isolation until a test determines whether you are positive or negative for Covid-19.

Should I quarantine my room?

 The answer is yes, you have to quarantine at home or in the room and observe the symptoms for at least 10 days. It is very important to pay close attention to the appearance of symptoms, even if these symptoms are mild, such as a cough or slight discomfort in the muscles of the body.

We should not leave home, except to obtain medical attention, since we can do the shopping for food online. You must be isolated in your room and in case of coinciding in the common areas with the positive person in Covid-19, you must do it with a mask and always maintaining the safety distance. In addition, you must request a PCR test to determine if you have been infected by your partner. Even if you are negative in the test, you have to continue taking all the safety and hygiene measures, since you continue to share a flat with a person who is positive, in addition, it is possible that you may have symptoms later. It is very important that all common areas are disinfected and if the infected person can use another bathroom, much better.

The five basic safety measures if my partner has coronavirus

1.  Clean and disinfect every day the surfaces that we touch most frequently, such as tables, chairs, taps, sinks …
2. Wash your hands with soap and water every time you go from one community room to another. Although no one should enter the room of the partner who is infected.
3. Establish an area in which to leave bags, backpacks, shoes, and other objects that are brought from the street, so as not to have to enter the house with them.
4. Constantly ventilate common areas such as the kitchen, living room, bathrooms, etc.
5. If there are many members of the flat, take turns for meals and the use of common areas in order to maintain the minimum safe distance.

In the case of the bathroom, if the infected person does not have one for himself , utensils such as towels, toothpaste, combs, etc. cannot be shared. They should leave an exclusive bath for him during the contagion period. Regularly disinfect frequently used surfaces like taps, cabinets, and more. These rules should continue to apply to all members of the floor regardless of whether it is positive or negative. The virus can be anywhere.

The same would happen with other common areas such as the kitchen: shifts should be established when cooking to match the smallest number of people at the same time. At mealtime, take shifts in order to maintain the minimum safety distance, since at mealtime you cannot wear the mask. And of course, frequent disinfection of the sink, cabinets, table, chairs and other kitchen utensils that are shared by all members of the apartment.

Sharing a flat in times of a pandemic has made daily life totally different from before the state of alarm, nothing is the same anymore, the behavior has to be totally different from what we had just a few months ago. The current situation forces us to rethink many of the practices we used to do and establish new routines and norms, for the health of ourselves and for the health of others. However, if we all follow common rules, coexistence can develop normally, and thus continue to enjoy the beautiful experience of living with other people.