Home quarantine is the home-based isolation for at least 10 days of the contacts of a suspect SARS or SARS case who have not yet developed fever or other respiratory signs and symptoms, equivalent to the 10-day incubation period of SARS. In the Philippines, newly arrived travelers from SARS affected countries are also strongly advised to go on a 10-day home confinement, whether they had close contact with a SARS case or a suspected SARS or not, especially those who visited the hospital or has seen a health worker in the SARS affected countries. During home quarantine, the person under quarantine should:

• Eat, drink, sleep and stay in a room in the house separate from the other members of the household during the whole period of isolation.
• Minimize direct contact with the other members of the household (e.g. communicate through the telephone or cell phone or in writing)
• Use facial mask if contact with the other members of the household cannot be avoided. No need to use an n95 mask if still not symptomatic, a surgical mask will do. If there are no masks, a simple handkerchief will also help. Cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.
• Use separate eating utensils and dishes for meals, which should be washed and immersed in hot water with detergent separately from the utensils of the other members of the household
• Monitor own health condition at least twice a day or as soon as symptoms appear, especially: (a) fever (take body temperature by mouth at least twice a day or when he/she feels feverish or unwell); (b) respiratory illness such as cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, difficulty of breathing; or (c) flu-like symptoms such as muscle ache, headache, loss of appetite, tiredness, dizziness; and (d) diarrhea and any other symptoms of illness. Report these regularly by telephone or in writing to the local disease surveillance team.
• Entertain yourself with movies, television, radio, books or magazines and hobbies that boost your spirits and sustain your motivation to stay in isolation for the whole 10 days duration
• Eat well-balanced meals, plenty of natural juices, soups, vitamins A and C and virgin coconut oil. Meals made from coconut milk (gata) are good sources of coconut oil.
• ·Exercise by walking about the room or the house, and doing bedside calisthenics
• Remember the number of the DOH STOP SARS ATTACK hotlines and that of the nearest SARS referral hospital. Call the hotline for any problem, question or advice.

• Don’t answer the door, let someone else do this
• Don’t receive visitors while under isolation. Better to communicate through the cell phone or the telephone.
• Don’t leave the house to go to work or school, or the store. Request someone else to do these errands.
• Don’t panic, especially when you develop a temperature, or accidentally get in contact with any of your household member. Remember, many SARS patients get well and manage to protect their household members from the infection.

The health worker should do the following:

• Teach the person under home quarantine how to take his/ her own body temperature correctly to avoid mistakes and panic reactions and how to chart these
• Provide the patient and family members with adequate information on the duration of the quarantine, the signs and symptoms to watch out for and how to measure them, and the procedures in case hospital isolation will be needed (this includes the triage, the laboratory procedures and additional hospital requirements of infection control, among others).
• Provide materials on Do’s and Don’ts on Home Quarantine and other IEC materials that encourage proper diet and adequate exercise. Dispel any myths or misconceptions of the patient or his/her family members
• Provide materials that the person will need to do self-monitoring such as thermometer, a simple chart to record temperatures, 2-3 surgical masks (if available), hotline numbers to call
• Encourage the patient to entertain himself/ herself through the television, radio, reading materials, or hobbies, among others
• Call on the patient by telephone twice daily to ask about his/her condition, including his/her motivation to stay quarantined
• Call on outside help, like the barangay officials or police, if necessary, especially when persons are uncooperative or abusive.
• Pre-arrange for possible transport to the nearest SARS referral hospital under strict barrier nursing techniques.

The health worker should not do the following:

• Don’t scare the patient too much by talking about death or by suggesting that he/she is stigmatized

• Don’t scold the patient for being uncooperative. Instead, use reason and adequate, factual information and reassurance of your support.
• Don’t come into close contact with the patient, especially when he/she has developed fever and/ or other symptoms, without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) that are properly worn.