MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hand washing, social distancing and quarantining: these are things all of us are doing to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Laughter and joy are also important in helping people cope.
"Our goal is to spread joy, not germs," says Memphis resident Divya Ramoo.
Divya Ramoo and Dani Wolland are co-workers, roommates, and best friends.
"I don't know how we spend every living minute together and don't get sick of each other," joked Wolland.
Both moved to Memphis for work.
"We just keep calling each other soul sisters," said Ramoo.
After working from home for a week due to the coronavirus outbreak, the friends decided to embark on a 12-hour road trip to quarantine at their family homes in the Washington D.C. metro-area.
"I think the first four hours of the drive we didn't even speak to each other. We were so tired," said Ramoo.
That's when the musical genius kicked in.
The two rewrote ABBA's hit song "Dancing Queen" using COVID-19 themes.
Lyrics like:
"You are the COVID queen
Smart and clean
Stuck in quarantine
COVID queen
Netflixing for your safety, oh yeah."
and
"You can dance
You can jive
As long as you do it inside
Ooh, see that girl
From behind the screen
Digging the quarantine."
They posted a video of them singing the song. It has over 50,000 views across social media platforms.
"It makes you laugh and smile," said Wolland. "During this period of isolation, that's so important."
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Coronavirus in Context:
The symptoms of coronavirus are similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80-percent of the cases there were mild.
But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.
Lower your risk
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- If you are 60 or over and have an underlying health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD, the World Health Organization advises you to try to avoid crowds or places where you might interact with people who are sick.
