Covid-19 DIY Lockdown Home Safety and Security Tips

COVID-19 lockdown may be the perfect time to declutter your home and electronics from possible Safety and Security Hazards. With Winter around the corner it just might be the DIY project you need to undertake. We all know crime do not simply disappear, it moves around and find a new way to get their victims, whether it is a house burglary, on the road or in cyber space.

Battery Check: Check your Security Alarm Battery which might have taken a knock during earlier load shedding
Lighting: Replace broken bulbs and remember to recycle the old ones, check exterior bulbs if they have been tampered with. Also report street lights that may suddenly not be working
Bushes & Hedges: Trim bushes around the house that can be a hide out place for criminals during winter
Storage: Do not store ladders or dustbins against walls that is perfect for wall jumpers to access your yard.
Cables: Check all your leads and especially Charger leads and plugs for any open wires – replace immediately
Local Neighbourhood Watch: Ensure you are still on the relevant groups and have the relevant contact number on speed dial
Local AR Company: Ensure your contact details are up to date at your local AR Company and that you have their relevant numbers on speed dial
Visitors: Do not allow any in to your property, fake "officials" under false pretenses might use this time to gain access to your home
Shopping: We tend to become more relax when we are on continuous lockdown. Make sure to be vigilant when leaving your home for people or drivers hanging around in the area
Give your Online passwords a makeover: Are you still using your old password for all your online accounts? Then it could be time to spice things up! A strong password will help keep your information safe so be sure to use a combination of letters, numbers and symbols – and keep this secret to yourself. Remember to keep a spreadsheet safely stored with your newly updated passwords.
Get to know those privacy settings: Speaking of protecting your information, do you know if what you post online really is private? You can check by diving into the privacy settings of your most loved social media accounts to be sure.
Fake news: A lot of what we see or read online is true, but sometimes it’s put there on purpose to spread false information. It can be hard to tell the difference between real and fake news so it’s important to ask yourself: is what I’m reading clickbait, is the source trustworthy, are the photos real, and where can I fact check this info? You can help others by not sharing fake news stories and photos and by reporting fake content when you see it.
Clean up that digital footprint: Have you ever done an ‘egosearch’? If you haven‘t now is a good to use a search engine to look up your own name to see the results. If you’re seeing your whole life story come up, it may be time for a clean-up. Go through your social media accounts and delete any personal information you don’t want shared with the entire world. Once your information is out there it can be hard to get it back, so always think carefully before you hit post and create a digital footprint.
Declutter those devices: If your devices are running slower than ever or you’re finding it difficult to find your favourite apps, you could probably use a digital declutter. Get busy letting go of any unused apps taking up space, deleting photos and memes clogging up your albums and organising files into folders.
Treat your devices to a wipe down: Once you’ve finished decluttering, it’s worth showing a little love to your hardware especially in these unprecedented times. You might be washing your hands a lot more, but don’t forget about the nasty germs your devices can carry.
Mental Health:
Maintain a daily routine.
Restrict media and social media coverage to prevent it from becoming too overwhelming.
Only obtain info from credible news sources.
Acknowledge your feelings and focus on things you can control.
Find things to keep you busy (whether it’s constructive or creative) to help lift your mood.
Stay connected with your loved ones via technology.
If you’re on medication, remember to take it as prescribed.