COVID-19 causes illnesses ranging in severity and affects people of all ages although older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and asthma appear to be more vulnerable.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus.

Symptoms of COVID-19 are extensive. Do visit the the WHO website for a comprehensive list.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) offers advice on general health and hygiene practices such as taking some simple precautions, such as physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning your hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue.

• Maintain at least a 1-metre distance between yourself and others to reduce your risk of infection when they cough, sneeze or speak. When indoors, to keep an even greater distance between yourself and others.
• Make wearing a mask a normal part of being around other people.
• Clean your hands before you put your mask on, as well as before and after you take it off.
• Make sure the mask covers your nose, mouth and chin.

Don’t forget the basics of good hygiene:

• Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately into a closed bin and wash your hands.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently especially those which are regularly touched, such as door handles, faucets and phone screens.

Swinburne encourages all its community to practice the following social distancing techniques:

• Maintain at least 1-meter distance between yourself and others when in public places, especially from those who are sneezing, or coughing
• Avoid close contact such as handshakes
• At all times, wear a face mask when you leave home.

In addition to the routine cleaning cadence, the university has implemented an enhanced cleaning frequency to clean and disinfect common areas and commonly touched surfaces within the buildings.

Touchpoints such as entrance handles, handrails, elevator buttons, tables /counters etc are being cleaned twice daily, five days a week.

Dispenser stations containing alcohol-based hand sanitizers are placed at temperature stations, building entrances and offices. Although hand sanitizers can help prevent the spread of the virus, practicing the proper hand-washing technique is considered to be more effective.