NEW YORK - Stay home unless you must see a doctor. No work, school or shopping. If you must come out of your room, wear a mask. And don't share towels.
It may sound like a vacation from reality, an ideal time to binge on Netflix and catch up on sleep. In fact, it's not easy to lock yourself away from family and friends. There are practical and logistical challenges and yawning gaps in the official advice that make it even harder. No visitors and no staff, unless it's absolutely essential. Don't take the bus or subway, not even a taxi.
Don't share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels or bedding with anyone . Wash these items after you use them. When around the patient, household members must wear a face mask, and both mask and gloves if they have contact with the patient's bodily fluids. These should be thrown away immediately, never reused.
No one pays you for self-quarantine. There is no reimbursement for products you may need, no government-paid nurse to stop by the home and help out. Self-quarantine is a hardship for both those who have families and those who live alone.