10 Ways to Stop the Spread of COVID-19


 2020-05-13

Editor’s note: this is satire, but hopefully it makes you smile during this challenging time. If you’re having a tough time right now, be sure to reach out for help. You are not alone.



As many of us are nearing almost 10 weeks of physical distancing and social isolation, we’ve had to get creative with how we follow
the behaviors that can keep the most people safe from COVID-19. 

Below, the Beyond Type 1 staff share their 10 best pieces of advice to maximize personal hygiene, minimize physical interaction and slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

  • Can’t remember how far 6 feet/2 meters is? Order a cardboard cutout of Tom Hanks, Kimora Lee Simmons, Leslie Jones, Denzel Washington, or Jane Lynch, then make sure you’re a full Tom Hanks away from people in public. 
  • Instead of giving someone a high five, blink aggressively in their direction.
  • Bored at home and sick of at home workout videos? Now is a perfect time to learn Beyonce’s entire catalog of choreography (start here—it’s a 3 part breakdown from Beyonce’s dance captain). 
  • Still touching your face? Consider wearing a cone of shame.
  • Remember parkour? Time to play the new version: where you make your way through the outside world touching as few surfaces as possible! Or, play “the floor is lava,” except… every surface outside is lava. 
  • To combat ashy-hands-syndrome from washing your hands all the time, invest in a 5-gallon bucket of lotion. If you’re washing your hands enough, you’ll use it, promise.
  • Missing Hugs? Put a body pillow next to a heater for 10 minutes and hug the pillow.
  • Walk through your house in your best Karate Kid outfit, clorox wipe in each hand, reciting “wax on, wax off.”
  • Chase your family (in your immediate household, ya know—the ones you’ve been quarantined with) while wearing your mop slipper shoes. It’s a two-for-one: exercise and a clean floor!
  • Wear a cape. That way, when you sneeze or cough into your elbow, you actually get to feel like Batman.

For a bonus, actually kind and doable action—instead of making dinner for your friends, send them a meal delivery from a local take-out spot (bonus points for take-out cocktails!) 

The real key to all of this? Act as though you have COVID and could pass it on. Let’s stay safe until we’re all safe.

To learn more about what you can do to protect yourself and others, go to coronavirusdiabetes.org and share what #BigLittleChanges you’re making. 


WRITTEN BY Lala Jackson, POSTED 05/13/20, UPDATED 11/22/22

Lala is a communications strategist who has lived with type 1 diabetes since 1997. She worked across med-tech, business incubation, library tech and wellness before landing in the type 1 diabetes (T1D) non-profit space in 2016. A bit of a nomad, she grew up primarily bouncing between Hawaii and Washington state and graduated from the University of Miami. You can usually find her reading, preferably on a beach.