Home Quarantine Setup During a Pandemic

Select a room with a door that closes. Ideally choose a room with its own bathroom. If sharing a bathroom, designate specific times for the sick person to use it. Remove soft furnishings (curtains, rugs) that trap particles. Stock the room with tissues, a waste bin, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant supplies.

Avoid shared bedrooms. If unavoidable, maintain 2+ meters distance and hang plastic sheets as barriers.

Open windows for 10–15 minutes every hour. Fresh air is the most effective ventilation method. Position a fan to direct air out of the window, not into common areas. If an HVAC system serves the room, close vents or set to exhaust-only mode. Never recirculate air from the sick room into the rest of the house.

Do NOT use ceiling fans pointing into the room—they spread particles. Keep windows open enough to prevent stagnant air.

Assemble: face masks or improvised masks (cloth, tightly fitted around nose and mouth), disposable gloves, eye protection (goggles or clear plastic wrap around eyes), and aprons for clothes. Improvised masks: use 2–3 layers of tightly woven cloth or high thread-count cotton. Practice putting on and removing PPE carefully to avoid self-contamination.

Never touch your face while wearing PPE. Remove gloves by pinching the outside at the wrist, peeling down and away. Contamination happens during removal.

Place a small table outside the isolation room door. Caregiver delivers meals on disposable plates or containers that stay in the room. Sick person eats, then seals dishes in a plastic bag on the delivery table. Use single-use utensils when possible. Wear gloves for all delivery contact.

Wash dishes separately in hot water with soap, or seal in a bin for 24 hours before washing. Avoid direct food contact without gloves.

Prepare disinfectant: 1 part bleach + 9 parts water, or 70% alcohol solution, or household cleaner with disinfectant label. Caregiver disinfects high-touch surfaces (doorknobs, light switches, phone, remote) 2–3 times daily. Wash bedding and towels in hot water separately every 2–3 days. The sick person disinfects surfaces they touch within their room.

Do not mix bleach with ammonia—toxic gas results. Wear gloves and ensure ventilation while disinfecting.

Line a trash bin in the isolation room. Seal the bag daily and place in a second bag outside the room. Hold sealed waste 72 hours before disposal if possible—this inactivates many viruses. If disposal cannot wait, place sealed bags in regular trash. Soiled tissues, masks, and gloves go only in the isolation room bin.

Do not reuse masks or gloves. Treat all waste as potentially infectious. Wash hands after handling waste. If landfill access is limited, bury sealed waste 30cm deep, away from water sources.