Coronavirus is spreading around the planet, and we at QAwerk are seriously concerned about the situation. We’re a QA software testing company located in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and we decided to get to the bottom of the problem to identify ways to protect ourselves and our co-workers.
Coronavirus in Our Country: Current Situation
Against the backdrop of the coronavirus raging in Europe, Ukraine officially remains a “safe haven” – so far only 3 cases of the disease has been confirmed, but in reality the situation may not be so successful, because due to the shortage of special test systems, we are selectively diagnosed for coronavirus and extreme cases.
To protect Ukrainian residents, Ukrainian International Airlines canceled all flights to Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Germany, Israel, Spain, the UK, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland and Denmark, additionally limiting individual domestic flights within Ukraine.
On Thursday, March 12, a 3-week quarantine was announced in Ukraine by the government of Denis Shmygal because of the global pandemic of the coronavirus and the disease COVID-19 caused by it. The quarantine will last from 12th of March till the 3rd of April.
Quarantine Conditions
What it specifically means:
- temporary closure of educational institutions and kindergartens;
- prohibition of mass gatherings of more than 200 people;
- ban for air connection with a number of countries.
Most of the border checkpoints will also be closed. Out of 219 there will be 49 left open. Public transport as well as restaurants and bars are allowed to work as usual.
In neither of our two locations in Ukraine: Kyiv and Zaporizhia, not a single case of coronavirus has been registered so far.
How to Protect Yourself from Coronavirus?
As all we know, prevention is better than cure, so the Ministry of Health gives us clear recommendations to follow. The best thing to do in the current situation is to limit your social activities and interactions with other people, and get a good supply of soap and sanitizer. Don’t forget to drink water.
Common Sense Measures on How to Avoid Coronavirus
Out of the obvious measures:
- observe the rules of personal hygiene and to reduce visits to public and public places;
- keep hands clean, wash them frequently with soapy water or use a disinfectant;
- try not to touch the mouth, nose or eyes with unwashed hands (usually such touches are unconsciously done by us an average of 15 times per hour). Why? Because respiratory infections can not only spread through respiratory droplets, but through contact as well;
- regularly clean the surfaces and devices that you touch (computer keyboard, general-purpose office panels, smartphone screen, consoles, door handles and handrails);
- avoid unpacked products, and clean properly all your vegetables, fruits and nuts;
- at the first signs of disease, seek medical help in medical organizations, do not allow self-medication;
- don’t forget to drink sufficient amount of water;
- strengthen your immune system by vitamins and immunostimulants, get sufficient rest and keep track of your well-being.
What do we do at QAwerk?
Following the quarantine in our country, here are the measures we took in our offices:
- Postponed all meetups we’re hosting, as mass gatherings can be a threat.
- Provided plenty of disinfectants in our offices in Kyiv and Zaporizhia, as keeping hands and surfaces clean is one of the main preventive methods from any infection.
- Provided the option to work remotely for the entire team for the entire period of quarantine. Our tracking system, online processes, and established communication flows allows us to keep the entire work process on the level even while working remotely, without losing productivity.
- If our colleagues return from a business trip or vacation, they should stay at home for 2 weeks and work remotely.
- We will ensure to air the office spaces on the regular basis to avoid air stagnation.
We care about our colleagues and their family members, so we encourage them not to worry in vain, follow the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, decrease the exposition to public places and mass gatherings, and consume more fruits and vitamins. Positive attitude is our weapon in every situation.
How to benefit yourself why locked indoors
While all social spheres of life are disrupted in a negative way, one of them is actually getting some positive shifts. You might wonder, what is it, except pages with memes. Online education it is. Boom!
Chinese educational institutions are attempting to go online on a massive scale. Following this movement, many Universities in Australia went online. On Tuesday, the board of Harvard University decided to transfer students to distance learning. We can’t say now if such epidemic situations can be a new spin for a robust system of distance education, being a so-called “black swan”.
While great shifts are happening, we, as common digital users, can try out new online tools and apps both for entertainment and self-education – online courses, fitness apps, games, audiobooks and streaming services. At the same time, enterprises are extensively starting to use Enterprise Collaboration Apps for their remote activities. Good examples are Alibaba’s Ding Talk and WeChat Work, that got to the very top of the App Store just in a few days.
Prospects and forecasts
According to the recent discoveries, with the onset of the warm season the epidemic will decline: the coronavirus is surrounded by a lipid layer, which poorly protects it from heat, so the virus quickly collapses with increasing temperature.
It is hard to say though how the virus will behave in the future. The virus may have mutated. It can be assumed that in the summer in the Northern Hemisphere the virus will not go anywhere. And in the fall it will return with even greater force.
The scientists do not exclude that the decline of the coronavirus infection in China may be associated with unprecedented measures taken in the country. How less prepared countries would do is a big question.
Memes!
To conclude the coronavirus topic, here are the funniest coronavirus memes our marketing has collected to cheer you up:
