7 Tips to Stay Safe at Home

In light of the current COVID-19 outbreak, we’re sharing some basic tips (some of which, you probably already know). But even without a virus outbreak, maintaining a clean and healthy environment at home is important to safeguard yourself and your family from any illnesses.

1. Wash your hands often

Make this a habit, people. Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. Soap helps kill germs and viruses that are invisible to the eye, which simply washing with water can’t do. Remember to wash your hands before eating and after using the restroom.

2. Wear a mask if needed and refrain from touching your face

If you are sick, whether it’s with COVID-19 or any other illness, wear a face mask to prevent spreading it to the people around you. Also avoid touching your mouth, eyes, and nose, as it’s through those body parts that germs and viruses enter the body.

3. Sanitize your devices

This one’s probably what we all forget. Our smartphones are great germ carriers! It also doesn’t help that we use them all the time and put it close to our faces when taking calls so make sure to regularly clean them.

Use some antimicrobial spray or alcohol on a microfiber cloth and wipe down your screens. If your devices have covers, don’t forget to wash these covers too.

4. Work from home

If your work, school, or daily commute is near a critical area, then it’s best to stay at home even if you’re not sick. The internet now makes it easier than ever to do work remotely and reduce the chances of contracting the virus and spreading it further. You can set up virtual meetings, transfer work files online, save your important documents through cloud storage for easy access and communication with your colleagues—and you can do it reliably with your PLDT Home Fibr.

PLDT Home has rolled out FREE speedboost for all Fibr subscribers in Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Laguna, and Cavite so that the minimum speeds will be 25 Mbps until April 30. This will help a lot of families working and studying at home to keep up with their daily tasks online.

5. Keep family members updated of your status

The good thing about the internet is that with it, we can remain safe and constantly connected. In delicate times like these, it’s best to always update your family members of your status and location, as they may be able to tell you which places to avoid or anything they know, or you can share your own knowledge of the current situation. Even the simple news of telling everyone you’re fine can be very reassuring.

6. Read up on verified information on COVID-19

The best way to keep yourself and your family protected is if you also stay up-to-date on the right information about COVID-19 via official sources online. More developments unfold by the day, with new knowledge about the virus being discovered—you can learn about them right away online from trusted official sources and share them with your loved ones and friends, so they can protect themselves too.

PLDT Home Wifi and PLDT Home Volume-based plan subscribers now have FREE access to verified government and news websites such as the Department of Health (DOH), National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), and Philippine Information Agency (PIA).

7. Always stay connected and set up personal notifications

Stay tuned to official channels of information. You can follow along on TV or radio and can easily set up notifications for important social media accounts such as the Department of Health (@DOHgovph on Twitter) or news sites. You can even set up Google Alerts to monitor for updates about COVID-19 around the internet.

Keep COVID-19 Hotlines and designated emergency hotlines of your area on your phone and send to your family members:

DOH COVID-19 hotline	(02) 894-COVID(02) 894-26843
Free Calls for PLDT, Smart, Sun and TNT subscribers	COVID-19 Hotline: 1555National Emergency Response Center: 911Citizen Complaint Hotline: 8888
NDRRMC Trunk Lines:	8911-5061 to 65 local 100
NDRRMC Operations Center:	(02) 8911-1406(02) 8912-2665(02) 8912-5668(02) 8911-1873
Philippine Red Cross	Hotline: 143Emergency Response Unit: (02) 8790-2300 local 604
Metro Manila Emergency Hotlines	Caloocan: 53106972Las Pinas: 85527694/87767268Makati: 168/ 82365790Malabon: 89216009Mandaluyong: 85332225Manila: 85275175Marikina: 161Muntinlupa: 89254351Pasay: 85517777Pateros: 86425259Quezon City: 122/89284396San Juan: 72384333Taguig: 87893200Valenzuela: 83525000/82921405
Joint Task Force – NCR	09451491764
Rizal Emergency Hotline	86202487 / 85714375
Bulacan Emergency Hotlines	Bulacan: (044) 7910566 / (044) 7607049Malolos: (044) 7910630Meycauayan: (044) 2581030San Jose del Monte: (044) 9137243
Cavite Emergency Hotlines	Bacoor: 161 / (046) 4170727Cavite: (046) 4310752Dasmariñas: (046) 6863339 / (046) 8510995Imus: (046) 4710629Gen. Trias: (046) 4378184Tagaytay: (046) 4830446Trece Martires: (046) 4190353
Laguna Emergency Hotlines	Biñan: 75300015Cabuyao: 88322809Calamba: 75451697San Pablo: 75628116San Pedro: 88082020Sta. Rosa: 75300015

It’s important to stay at home right now to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep your family safe and connected. With PLDT Home, you can do so much such as reliably work from home and keep your family up-to-date to the latest news with your unlimited access to the Internet. Visit www.pldthome.com for more details.