Staying connected with friends and family is essential during the pandemic. Lockdowns and fear mean that people have now greatly restricted social interaction with one another. So you should know how to stay close to friends and family as safe as possible during the coronavirus pandemic.
Staying in touch with those closest to you (within COVID-19 safety guidelines) is essential for both your mind and body. We all know intuitively that human beings do not thrive in solitude. Instead, time and again, by observing long-lived communities, we can consistently see that the secret to a long healthy life is social interaction and integration.
During these challenging times, you should be well aware of 2 key issues. The first issue being; how can you stay close to friends and family during the coronavirus for greater wellbeing of both parties?
The second issue is: can you file a personal injury claim for coronavirus in California due to others’ negligence? As infections continue to rise not just in the US but worldwide, this issue will assume paramount importance. There is a possibility that you, your loved ones, friends, or family could get infected due to someone else’s laxity.
The leading personal injury attorney in California, Anh Phoong, can tell you all you need to know.
Staying Close During Coronavirus
The coronavirus crisis recently hit an unfortunate milestone in the US. Total COVID related deaths surpassed 200,000. It is expected that the death toll will rise in the coming months. There are now 7 million confirmed COVID cases in the US, and thousands have been hospitalized.
But hospitalizations and deaths are not just the only problems. Physical and mental illnesses brought about by lockdowns are now major health concerns as well. Staying indoors means that people have virtually broken off face-to-face social connections. Isolation is a significant cause of stress, which is the root cause of almost all chronic diseases. Staying indoors is also to blame for sedentariness, which is a significant cause of chronic disease. Some researchers have compared the lack of physical activity to smoking. Sedentariness, combined with isolation, can have devastating long-term consequences for everyone. Thankfully, you can remediate these problems through a few simple steps.
Here is how you can stay close with your loved ones during these challenging times.
Phone Calls and Text Messages
You can dial calls to your loved ones to stay connected during these difficult circumstances. Even a simple text message like “thinking about you always” can bring immense solace and profound relief to loved ones.
Lockdowns and staying indoors does not mean that you cannot see your relatives and friends. There are now several options (many of them free) for video calls to loved ones. This is the next best thing to face-to-face interaction.
Free Video Call Options
You can use Google Hangouts for placing free video calls, messaging, and even voice calls. You can talk to just one person or even interact with a group of people in real-time. You can install the Hangouts app on your smartphone or load the extension on your chrome browser. You can double the fun with emojis, stickers, and photos.
Facetime
Those with iPhones and iPads can use Facetime. This app is available only for the Apple ecosystem. You can enjoy a virtual gathering that is as good as real-life since you can see all participants concurrently on your screen. You can conduct family reunions, get-togethers, online happy hours, and virtual meetups with friends using Facetime.
Zoom
If you do not have an iPad or an iPhone, then you need not worry. You can resort to Zoom for all options that Facetime purveys. Get-togethers and happy hours are a cinch with the user-friendly Zoom app, which has become the go-to virtual meeting app for countless millions worldwide.
Skype
Skype is another virtual conferencing tool. You can install the app on your PC or smart device. You can even use the app through your browser to hold conferences, chat, and video calls.
Facebook offers a wide variety of tools for staying close to relatives and friends. You can connect with others in numerous ways. You can place comments on walls and share your status. Facebook messaging allows you to seamlessly interact with multiple people. There are options for texting and chatting.
Watch Party
Watch Party is a more recent feature. The person hosting the virtual event can select a playlist of videos that participants can all enjoy together. Invited persons are free to comment, hear, and see each other during the party. Watching funny cat videos has never been this great!
Netflix Parties
Netflix has now become essential for alleviating the tedium of lockdowns. Thankfully, the Netflix Parties option for the social touch is where you can watch your favorite Netflix shows together with loved ones. The free extension is available only on the chrome browser. For friendly real-time social interaction, there is a window through which you can talk with participants and see them.
In-Person Meetings
While it is necessary to restrict face-to-face contact as much as realistically possible, you may occasionally want to meet up with select relatives and friends who have not met in person for some time. It is hard to stay away from your loved ones for so long. Although you should do your best to limit such meetings as far as possible, you can take specific safety measures to ensure that the meeting remains relatively safe.
Make sure that you maintain a 6-feet distance between each other at all times. Avoid all physical contact. Wear a face mask and meet outdoors rather than indoors (if the rules in your area permit). Follow any other guidelines that are in force in your locality. You may not be able to hug your loved one, but you can at least maintain eye contact. Looking at each other’s face and eyes, in particular, can give you the feeling of warmth and social interaction that you have been craving for so long. It can help you to relieve the stress and loneliness that has weighed so heavily on your heart for so long.
But remember that you can always stay in touch through numerous apps. Video calls provide an experience that is the next best thing to in-person meetings.
‘Social’ Physical Activity
Another essential facet that needs addressing is physical activity. Lockdowns and orders to stay indoors have significantly curtailed physical activities. It is hard now to visit your gym or to walk your dog in the park. You will thus need to be creative and inventive to carry out indoor physical activities.
While using video calling apps, make sure that you are standing instead of sitting. This is the simplest way of reducing sedentariness. It would help to inform others about the dangers of sedentariness and gently urge them to stand while talking. If you are using a smartphone, you can even take a gentle stroll while taking a video call. You should stroll and clear up everything from your path while doing this to avoid an accident. Again, you can gently urge your loved ones to do the same. The simple act of strolling slowly or even standing can significantly mitigate sedentariness and cut down stress levels.
Another great idea is to exercise together. While exercise is essential, it is much better and more enjoyable if done as a group activity. You can add the all-important social dimension to the exercise routine. With current restrictions and lockdowns, such interaction has never been more critical.
And who knows that the confluence of exercise and safe social contact (via apps) could leave you healthier and happier than you ever were. So don’t let the COVID crisis hold you back. You should relax and be satisfied. Use video call apps to get in touch with loved ones and invite them to become your exercise buddies for enjoyable exercise routines. You can start with the simplest stretches and the most basic bending routines. You do not have to make it challenging or demanding. Of course, as you get fitter, you could think about raising the bar slowly.
Motivate your loved ones and give them plenty of encouragement so that they agree to exercise with you. Many are complaining about heightened stress and weight gain, blaming them both on the pandemic. With ‘social exercise,’ you could get in the best shape of your life, beat the pandemic blues, and enjoy a sharp relief from stress. Imagine the bragging rights you and your loved ones can gain by posting videos on social media that show inspiring ‘before’ and ‘after’ videos. Such videos are more incredible than ever because most people seem to be putting on weight and getting unfit during the current crisis. You and your loved ones could stand out from the crowd, elicit admiration and enjoy much-needed improvements to health. This is a great way to consolidate your relationship with relatives and friends.
Personal Injury Claims and Lawsuits in California
The coronavirus outbreak seems to have brought everything to a grinding halt. Even critical services seem to be moving far more slowly than usual. Courts in California have slowed down, but they have not stopped working altogether. So if you have a personal injury claim, you should not hesitate to initiate legal proceedings. It might take longer, but you will eventually get a verdict on the case. You should know a few things about filing personal injury lawsuits in California.
In California, employers are responsible for their workers’ safety, health, and wellbeing in the workplace. So if you suffer an accident in the workplace, you may have a substantial claim on your hands. While the white-collar staff is now mainly working from home, many essential blue-collar workers have to travel to their workplace. Such persons face a risk of accidents and should know about their employers’ duty to keep them safe.
The rules in California hold employers accountable for personal injuries and accidents at their workplace. However, you will have to prove a few things to win your personal injury claim.
Under the California Civil Code Section 1714(a), everyone is responsible for all acts that harm others. Under various California court rulings, everyone must exercise reasonable care to ensure the safety of others.
Thus, you must prove that the accused was guilty of breach of duty. The responsible party had a duty to protect and provide reasonable care, but they failed to do so. Hence, workers can sue employers for personal injury if it transpired due to the employer’s negligence, omission, and breach of duty.
For personal injury cases, California courts closely scrutinize how strongly the breach of duty was responsible for personal injury.
There are several other cases in California where at-fault employers and drivers were found guilty. Thus if you (or your loved one) suffer an accident in the workplace or have been in a road accident, you should immediately get in touch with a reliable personal injury lawyer in California like Anh Phoong.
No matter the circumstances, if you or your loved has endured an accident, immediately contact Anh Phoong for a free consultation. Never make the mistake of assuming that you won’t win. Only an experienced personal injury attorney knows your prospects of winning and the amount you can reasonably expect.
Ofter victims under estimate their property and bodily damages and don’t realize how quickly medical bills rack up, especially as healing can take an extended period of time. California provides plenty of safeguards and rights to its citizens to protect them from personal injuries and their consequences. Hence there is a real chance that a personal injury lawsuit in California could give you benefits that you deserve. Make sure that you talk right away to a reliable lawyer who knows California’s legal system inside out like injury attorney Anh Phoong.
If you or your loved one has suffered an accident or personal injury in California and have questions, Anh Phoong can answer your questions.
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