With more than third of the global population confined to their homes to slow the coronavirus pandemic, many are worried how long they will be cooped up.

But being quarantined can be "a good thing" and something "to enjoy," says veteran Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin.

The 61-year-old, who has made five flights to space spending a combined 671 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), says the main thing is to stay positive.

Here are his five tips for surviving quarantine:

- Get some air -

On the ISS, cosmonauts work "in an alien environment, surrounded by metal and plastic," Yurchikhin told AFP.

"There are no trees and no plants -- except for the ones used for experiments, but we treat it as if it were our home.

"But you guys, you're really home!

"Remember that in space, it's really impossible to get out" or take some air. At home, you can always open the windows or step out onto the balcony, the cosmonaut says.

- Call friends -

"Remember you have relatives and friends you haven't called for centuries because you were too busy."

Why not get in the habit of calling them every day, when you're in confinement, Yurchikhin said.

"This is the perfect time to catch up with your friends."

- Family time -

Yurchikhin urges those in quarantine to use this time to "establish a completely different style of communication within the family" and to pay more attention to children.

Now is a good moment to check off items on the to-do list: finally hang a painting on the wall, sort through archives or read a book.

"Take care of this today, because when the quarantine is over, you won't get round to it again!" he urged.

- Get some exercise -

And "Don't forget your health!" he says.

You can let spending all day in an enclosed space impact your fitness, says Yurchikhin. "That's why you should do sport."

You do not need a gym membership to work out "at least twice a day for 30 minutes." With many yoga or aerobics courses available online, "you can do it at home," he says.

- Laugh it off -

"If you only see the bad side of quarantine, it will feel like prison," Yurchikhin said.

"So approach this situation with humour.

"Humour should prolong life and shorten quarantine."

mp-jbr/am/har

ISS A/S

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Southwest Valley awarded $524M for border wall construction in Arizona
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 24, 2020
The U.S. Army has awarded $524 million to Southwest Valley Constructors for design and build of a section of wall along the U.S. Mexico border, the Department of Defense announced. The deal modifies an earlier contract, originally awarded in May 2019, for design build replacing the section of the wall near Tucson, Ariz. In February, Southwest Valley received a $175.4 million contract for border wall construction in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The Arizona Daily Star has reporte ... read more