The Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, started its spread in Wuhan, China, but in a few two months became a global pandemic, reaching the major countries of the world in a matter of weeks. The World Health Organization reports that globally more than 509,164 cases have been confirmed, and more than 23,000 deaths have occured. Currently, the WHO global risk level is “very high”.

COVID-19, though it is a virus that typically causes the common cold or other mild respiratory viral illnesses, is a new strain that can cause a much more serious illness, even death, in some patients with compromised immune systems or sensitive respiratory systems. Previous novel coronavirus strains include SARS and MERS that occurred in other areas of the world in recent years.  

In response to this global pandemic, many states have declared state emergencies and taken legislative action to lessen the severity of the outbreak. At the moment, at least thirty-four states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have introduced legislation to support state action related to COVID-19 and have adopted temporary rules to allow local governments to meet or vote electronically and reappropriate funds, set up paid leave and unemployment benefits, or focus on health topics such as insurance coverage, medical costs or telehealth services.

In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine issued a stay-at-home order for everyone outside of essential workers as part of the state’s efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. As of March 29, there were 1,653 cases reported in Ohio, 403 leading to hospitalizations and 29 deaths.

"There is nothing in the order that we haven't already been talking about," DeWine said. "There is nothing in this that I haven't been asking you to do for the last few weeks."

Though the order urges residents to stay home, it does allow for exceptions such as seeking health services, shopping for necessary supplies and services and limited outdoor activity, according to the governor.

For many families in Ohio, this is a difficult time. Due to orders to self-quarantine, many lives have been disrupted-- school has moved online, daycares have closed, and parents have had to adjust to working from home or find ways to stay busy during a period of unemployment.

To help with this period of quarantine in The Age of Corona, we’ve compiled a list of tips for Columbus families who might be looking for some ideas to keep the kids busy, their schedules on track, and bodies active while self-quarantining.

Have a schedule for the day

Stay on track with a schedule to make sure you are keeping up with your responsibilities and not losing track of time.

One way to make sure your time during your self-quarantine is spent productively is by creating a daily schedule. Keeping structure to your day is not only helpful to you if you’re working from home, but can be beneficial to the well being of your kids.

‍Claudia W. Allen is the director of the Family Stress Clinic and the director of behavioral science in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist and says that one of the biggest hurdles people will face during this quarantine will be, not whether or not they have toilet paper, but their mental wellbeing.

“While telecommuting initially sounds like an unplanned vacation, in reality, isolation, lack of schedule and not enough to do are a foolproof recipe for depression,” she said.

Having a schedule for the week will help fight off negative feelings, Allen says. You can make weekends different from the weekdays, making breakfasts on specific week days, or create a structured work and school schedule to keep your family stimulated. Maybe even work in new house projects or fun family events into the week to keep everyone on their toes!

Check out this list of possible quarantine schedules to help create your own. And below, check out @allthings_lovelyxo’s COVID-19 daily schedule on Instagram for inspiration to make your own

Make at-home meals fun

Just because restaurants are closed doesn’t mean you can’t have delicious food with your whole family.

While we might be somewhat used to cooking meals at home, it is undeniable that during self-quarantine, families will now be eating more and more meals around the dinner table. And it can be tough to not only keep that much fresh food in the house, but also to find the time to prepare so many meals.

To help those self-quarantining, The New York Times has compiled a list of recipes you can make using simple ingredients you might already have on hand at home during your self-quarantine, and The Atlantic has also recently published a quarantine cooking guide.

Following one of these guides or recipe’s can be helpful, but it can also be of use to consider stocking up on healthy, freezer-friendly meals before going shopping to cook and freeze to eat later in the week. Stews, cooked vegetables, and fruits can all be chopped, cooked, and preserved. Be sure to plan out your meals in advance and keep stock of what you do and do not have in the house.

For residents of Ohio, taking online cooking classes might be of interest, especially from the head chef of one of Cincinnati’s oldest restaurants. That’s right-- from your home you can watch chef Kayla Robinson of Arnold’s Bar and Grill cook new recipes and share some of Arnold’s best dishes, all over livestream.

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“We’re adapting,” Robinson says, referring to the quarantine. “We’re doing Fish Friday’s on Friday, where you pull up to the tub and grab some grub. That’s kind of our little slogan that we’re working on right now. Last Friday we sold 200 orders, which is great,” Robison said.

Making mealtime fun isn’t just about providing sustenance to you and your family. In her article for VICE on quarantine cooking, Nisha Chittal writes that “we have to eat, and restaurants are shut down... but home cooking and baking also function as a way to pass the hours and feel productive, a form of entertainment when many other activities-- movie theaters, museums, concerts, bars-- are close and canceled.

And we agree. Maybe make something you’ve never made before, like sushi! Or excite the kids with pancakes and waffles for dinner. But remember that no matter what, this time is best spent sharing quality time with the ones you love and taking advantage of being home.

Incorporate exercise into your routine

Not only will exercise boost your mood, but staying active can help retain a sense of normalcy during this abnormal time.

When you can’t leave your home, getting motivated to exercise can be nearly impossible. Now that gyms and recreation centers are closed, at home workouts are the only way to go.

Which can be tough, especially if you don’t have the equipment or the space.

To stay active at home, try to order some home workout equipment online. This list of home workout essentials can help jumpstart your search. In addition, many gyms are offering free online workout classes or are live streaming their classes for members stuck at home. Take advantage of these opportunities and virtually join in on the sweet feeling of a good sweat from the comfort of your living room floor.

If you can’t afford to buy equipment or don’t have the space, trying out a local park to run through, walk in, or do exercises at can be a good way to stay active while also offering an opportunity for you to leave your home and get some fresh air. This list of the 12 best parks in Columbus can be extremely helpful when choosing the best place to work out.

Staying active will not only make the time in quarantine pass faster, but it will also keep you from feeling the effects of the sedentary lifestyle you might be forced into living while the COVID-19 outbreak is happening.

Increasing your mood, making you tired at night and bettering your sleep, blowing off steam from stressful work circumstances or anxiety about the news and state of the world-- taking time to exercise during this difficult time can be the best thing for us. Especially when you get the whole family involved!

Keep your home clean

One of the best ways to prevent yourself from getting sick during the Coronavirus outbreak is to keep your home, and yourself, clean.

Your home might look a bit...disheveled, given the circumstances. With more time spent in the living room, walking from upstairs to downstairs, kitchen to bathroom, eating in all rooms of the house, it might be easy for carpets to get dirty and areas of the home to look like a bomb has gone off.

Making chore time a part of your daily schedule can be extremely useful in getting the kids and your spouse involved and invested in the cleanliness of the home. Make it a game, or create a reward system for more screen time at the end of the day.

Either way, there are some serious benefits to keeping things tidy. Not only will your family feel less sad or depressed due to the self-quarantine since your home won’t be in shambles, but also, it gives you a chance to disinfect your home.

‍According to the CDC, “community members can practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces (for example: tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks, and electronics (see below for special electronics cleaning and disinfection instructions)) with household cleaners and EPA-registered disinfectants that are appropriate for the surface, following label instructions.”

The CDC has instructions on how to clean hard and soft surfaces, electronics, linens, clothing, and tips on hand hygiene. The Ohio Department of Health also has tips on how to disinfect when normal, store bought cleaning supplies have run out.

Keeping bad germs and viruses like COVID-19 out of your home should be a top priority. So don’t just wash your hands-- wash the carpet, scrub the counter tops, dust the blinds, and mop that bathroom tile, like you’ve been meaning to for weeks. Getting to house work you’ve been putting off cannot only keep you staying motivated, but can keep your family safe from getting sick.

Stay Positive

Having fun (while staying informed) can be the best thing to do while the world deals with a pandemic

Not much can be done in situations like this. When a pandemic arises, staying inside, keeping our hands clean and away from our faces, and limiting our interactions with the elderly and the immunocompromised can be the best, most socially conscious decisions we can make. But you might be wondering-- what do we do when we aren’t worrying about the pandemic?

Well, online school is most likely still going on for you or your kids. And work can still very much be a reality of your daily life at home. However, how we spend our free time has changed greatly. No more are the days when we go out to bars, drink in large parties with friends, or travel to amusement parks and attend birthday parties and barbecues at home with swimming pools once the weather gets warm.

Instead, we are learning how to find fun and entertainment without the walls of our home. Netflix, Disney+, and HBO NOW  are most likely our best friends right now. But even those can get boring after a week or two-- the same goes for reading a book, painting, or even journaling. Keeping ourselves entertained can sometimes be the biggest hurdle for the day, it may seem.

Luckily, many outlets have produced lists of ideas on how to stay entertained. This USA Today list features 100 things you can do during a pandemic, and this Psychology Today article lists 8 things you can do while in quarantine. (Number 8 is ‘Start a betting pool on how much of a baby boom there’ll be due to all of this time on our hands’-- okay, go off Psychology Today.)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness even provides a list of things to do to keep you positive and feeling well during your self-quarantine. For Ohio residents, they recommend taking a nature walk at one of 75 Ohio State Parks, making a scavenger hunt outside with your kids, taking your dog on a walk, or planning a summer garden. They also recommend borrowing a book from the Ohio Digital Library, which allows you to check out ebooks.

Planning for the future and coming up with a list of places you want to go after the quarantine could be a fun way to pass the time. Check out Ohio.org to find out where you’ll want to travel to in the state when the pandemic ends.

Are you ready?

In times like these, it can be difficult to stay on track and have the motivation to continue living your life with any sense of normalcy. However, by following these tips, you can get closer to keeping calm, working hard, and making the best out of a bad situation.