Cough and sneeze into your elbow. Ventilate your house. And stay home if you are sick. All advice that has received a lot of attention in recent years in the fight against corona. Although the corona measures have expired since March 2023, these basic advice are still in force. In hopes of limiting the spread of infectious diseases in general.
And that is a good thing, says company doctor Jaap Maas: “People have become much more aware of the spread of respiratory infections in recent years.” In winter there are different types of respiratory viruses that spread in a similar way. Such as RS viruses, flu viruses and rhinoviruses. “We have seen that, for example, keeping distance, washing hands regularly and ventilating help prevent the transmission of these viruses.”
Not sick enough
To see whether people follow this basic advice and how they assess it, the RIVM regularly administers questionnaires. The most recent results are published in early November. More than 5,000 people took part in this measurement. In general, the majority of participants support the advice, RIVM concludes. There is the least support for working from home with minor complaints, about half of the people who can work from home agree with this.
Just because people agree with the advice does not mean that they always follow it. For example, some people habitually wash their hands only after visiting the toilet, and significantly fewer people ventilate their homes when the outside temperature drops. Of the people who felt ill, 18 percent stayed completely at home during that period, while 44 percent simply went to work or education. The most common reason for going: not feeling sick enough to stay home.
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Snot nose protocol
But where exactly is the line? Can you go to work with a runny nose? To avoid confusion about this, many companies have drawn up cold protocols in recent years. This describes what to do in case of which complaints. The precise advice depends on the company and the position. Maas: “If you normally work hybrid, you can often easily work from home for a week if you have minor complaints. But in many professions this will not be possible.”
Maas works as a company doctor in a hospital. The following applies to people with mild complaints who are fit enough to work. “Tell your direct colleagues so that they can keep sufficient distance. And if work requires you to come within 1.5 meters of someone, wear a mouth-nose mask.”
According to Maas, the snot nose protocols have also only been in place in hospitals since the corona pandemic. “Previously, we paid considerably less attention to the spread of respiratory infections. In the hospital we only had the annual flu shot and general hygiene regulations. The snot-nose protocol and the advice to wear a mouth-nose mask when you have cold complaints arose thanks to the pandemic.”
2023-12-20 12:01:57
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