Making the Best of Quarantine Days (A Letter from Global Peace Women #5)

Soonok Kang
May 18, 2020

Since March 19th, Secretary-General of Global Peace Women (GPW), Dr. Soonok Kang has been sending weekly messages uplifting a healthy and happy family culture from home to community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Kang would like to share best practices from family activities like making masks to gratitude journals as well as our GPF family’s kindness stories in helping neighbors each Friday. 

If you wish to share best practices for families to build a healthy and happy family environment during the Coronavirus pandemic, please email Dr. Soonok Kang: [email protected]


Dear Global Family,

I hope you are in good health and taking the right precautions from the virus. These days, we see the media and news outlets, and people talking about COVID-19 almost at every corner. It’s so easy to find a lot of different information about COVID-19, such as tips on what to eat or what to do to stay protected, or that the heat or cold will help prevent the virus from creeping in. As a new pandemic, however, we need to consider whether the information is coming from the right sources or not to prevent any misconceptions that we might develop from myths or fake news. Paying attention to the right information helps prevent creating more confusion and unnecessary fear.

This pandemic is new and it is affecting everyone’s lives, some more than others. Please be aware that there is misinformation circulating through the web or from rumors, and try to avoid them as much as possible.

I highly recommend you look for information related to COVID-19 prevention from the World Health Organization (WHO)’s public advice. Please keep yourself and your family from having any misconceptions about COVID-19. Here are some Myth busters from the WHO you can refer to and use to keep your family on the same page. One example of a common myth is that “You can prevent catching COVID-19 by being exposed to the sun or temperatures over 25C.” However, WHO explains that this is false and that “countries with hot weather have reported cases of COVID-19.” In order to protect yourself, “make sure you clean your hands frequently and thoroughly and avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose.” The WHO has the most up-to-date information regarding this unforeseen pandemic compared to any other institution.

family reading

Unfortunately, there is no known cure at this time, so the best thing we can do for ourselves and our family’s health and safety is to follow these guidelines. Make time to stay informed about the best preventive measures from reliable resources with your family. It will help prevent unnecessary fear and anxiety while providing useful advice on the best methods to prevent COVID-19.

Also, as a parent, it is more important than ever for children to properly understand COVID-19. I would like to share a free and very useful book about the Coronavirus with engaging illustrations titled Coronavirus: A book for children written by Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. You could read it with your children or share it with other families to really understand what Coronavirus is, how it spreads, what to do to avoid it, etc. Making time to get the right information about the Coronavirus, while being on the same page of a better understanding of how to stay healthy and give the people around them and in the community peace in mind.

family reading together

On a final note, I want to recognize our good friend Dr. Donna Schuller, a GPW International advisory member, Certified Nutrition coach, and author of “A Legacy of Success, Building Hope for Tomorrow.” I am glad to share her blog to you with content that takes a hopeful perspective towards the pandemic and provides good advice for you and your family to stay healthy. Especially, I recommend reading the “9 (plus) ways to help you survive the flu season” and “Choosing Hope” for practical tips on building healthier behaviors.

We deeply appreciate the many global families who have shared how they benefitted from our “Best of Quarantine Days” weekly series. We hope you and your family were able to gather the best information to stay healthier and to overcome the challenges you may be facing during this pandemic.

Best Regards,

Dr. Soonok Kang,
Secretary-General, Global Peace Women

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