COVID-19: Everything you need to know to stay healthy and entertained while stuck at home
All of the tips you'll need to work, cook and stay sane while practicing social distancing.
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Schools, businesses, restaurants, gyms, museums and other public places across the US closed down this month in attempts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people are staying home and practicing social distancing to avoid spreading the viral disease further.
If you're not used to spending all of your time at home, whether you live alone or with a partner, a family or roommates, you might be feeling a little unsure of how to pass the time -- especially since the government's social distancing directive might last for weeks. Never fear: CNET has put together this guide of everything you need to know about coronavirus and infection prevention, but also tips for working, cooking, learning and staying physically and mentally healthy from home.
Read more: Best services for working, eating and entertaining yourself at home
Coronavirus basics
Here's everything you need to know about coronavirus, including the most recent updates, guidelines, cancellations and where to find more information:
- Everything you need to know about the coronavirus: Where it started, how it spread and how to protect yourself
- A timeline of everything that's happened since the first confirmed cases of COVID-19, and the most recent updates
- Every coronavirus event cancellation and delay, from the NBA to Disney films and Broadway
- How to get coronavirus news updates and alerts on your phone
- Coronavirus lockdowns: Who they affect and what you need to know
- All the sports events that are still on, for now
How to avoid getting infected with coronavirus
If you still have to work or do things outside of your home, here are some tips for avoiding infection, including how to properly sanitize your home and phone:
- 10 ways to help avoid coronavirus when you have to leave the house
- What social distancing means, and how to do it
- How to prepare and stock up for a coronavirus quarantine
- Why sewing face masks may not protect you from coronavirus
- How social distancing can help stop the spread of coronavirus
- Coronavirus vaccines and treatment: Everything you need to know
- How to clean and disinfect your phone
- 13 hands-free greetings for the coronavirus era
- How to sanitize your house to protect yourself from coronavirus
- 6 coronavirus health myths, fact checked
Working from home tips
Here's everything you need to work from home efficiently, from video conferencing services to tips on how to stay sane:
- All the gear you need to work from home
- How to stay sane and productive when working from home
- How to make sure your home Wi-Fi is up to speed
- 10 free video chat apps
- Skype vs. Zoom: Which video chat app is best?
- The best VPN services for 2020
- The best password managers for 2020 and how to use them
- Why a smarter iPad could be a work-from-home savior
35 things to buy if you're stuck at home thanks to coronavirus (besides toilet paper)
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Cooking (or ordering food) at home tips
Making your way around the kitchen for the first time in a while? Here are some apps, services and tips to help you channel your inner Gordon Ramsay and finally use that Instant Pot or slow cooker (just keep the yelling to a minimum, for the sake of your pet):
- Best food delivery service: DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and more compared
- 10 cookbooks to get you through quarantine
- The best toaster oven is the one you'll hate the least
- How to safely order food delivery during the coronavirus pandemic
- Uber Eats waives delivery fees amid coronavirus outbreak
- How to make a meal with whatever the grocery store had left
- Make-ahead freezer meals to cook now and eat later
- Turn your recipes into shopping lists with this meal-planning app
- Take live cooking classes with the Food Network Kitchen app
- How to use your Instant Pot: Everything you've wanted to know
- 15 healthy Instant Pot recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Use the Google Home Hub to help you cook
Keeping the kids busy with schoolwork and entertainment
With schools closed across the country, millions of kids are at home and in need of virtual education or at least entertainment. Here are some resources to help parents out:
- Great online education classes for every age and grade
- 6 Chromebook deals for online learning
- Parents share home schooling survival tips on Twitter
- 10 kid-friendly Apple Arcade games
- Best 2-player board games for 2020
- Best board games in 2020: Lord of the Rings, Mansions of Madness and more
- Disney Plus now streaming Frozen 2
- 30 best movies to watch on Disney Plus
- Top kid toys 2020: Cool toys for girls and boys
- Best kids tablets for 2020: Amazon Fire, Apple iPad and more compared
Keeping yourself entertained
Adults need help staying busy while social distancing, too. Here are some ideas for you:
- Free entertainment to help you survive coronavirus social distancing
- 5 Masterclass classes to become a filmmaker: Learn from Martin Scorsese, Jodie Foster and more
- Free movies: 10 Netflix alternatives that will keep you entertained
- Learn how to draw: 5 classes to take online
- Best free TV streaming services: Roku, Sling TV, IMDb, Pluto TV, Tubi TV, Plex and more
- How to grow an herb garden
- Best 2-player board games for 2020
- All the best streaming devices
- 10 ways to download and read books online for free
- Best live TV streaming services for cord-cutters in 2020
- How to get free ebooks, magazines, movies and TV shows from your library
- Start your own work-from-home book club with these great reads
- Rent new movies from NBCUniversal online
- Diplo, Dropkick Murphys stream concerts to slow coronavirus spread, report says
Staying mentally healthy
Keeping your mental health in check will be key for making it through social distancing. Here are some resources to help you manage anxiety and sleep , and find online therapy and telehealth services:
- How to cope with coronavirus anxiety and stress
- 5 life hacks for relieving anxiety
- How to improve your sleep
- How to beat your social media addiction, according to a therapist
- How to find a therapist online
- 7 signs you have burnout -- and how to fix it
- 12 meditation apps for better sleep and less stress
- How to take a mental health day from work
- How to access telehealth services
- 5 sobriety support groups that are different from Alcoholics Anonymous
- 13 suicide and crisis intervention hotlines to call or text when you need help
Exercising from home
Just because gyms are closed doesn't mean you shouldn't say physically active. Here are some tips for working out from your house, whether you have any exercise equipment or not:
- All the at-home workouts, apps and equipment you need to stay healthy
- The best YouTube channels for working out at home
- The best workout apps for people who hate working out
- Peloton, Daily Burn and more: Best workout subscription apps
- How to create an exercise routine you'll actually stick to
- The 7 most important workout moves you should be doing
- Best smart home gym: Peloton, Mirror, Tonal and more
- Exercising in your 50s and beyond: Tips from a doctor and fitness pros
- Peloton alternatives: 4 great indoor exercise bikes that cost less
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