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Several other strategies can contribute to improve the mental health status during the current situation. They include mediation, faith, prayers, playing and listening to music, cooking and baking, caring for a pet or gardening (Lades et al., 2020; Lyons et al., 2020; Mental health Covid-19, 2020). The importance of maintaining a routine or daily plan has also been emphasized (Lyons et al., 2020; Mental health Covid-19, 2020). The management of information intake, keeping news monitoring to a minimum in order to reduce levels of anxiety (Holmes et al., 2020; Mesa Vieira et al., 2020) or simply following official guidelines to stay safe and to respect social distancing are also fundamental strategies to diminish the stress response (Mental health Covid-19, 2020). Furthermore, sleep has a significant impact in mental health and stress response and the population should be constantly informed of its importance, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic (Holmes et al., 2020). Specific Measures for Certain Vulnerable Groups Healthcare Professionals Considering the emotional and psychiatric risk that healthcare workers are exposed to, actions must also be taken to protect and support this group. Healthcare managers should offer proactive steps to help their workers deal with this situation, reinforcing teams as needed, being honest about the situation and monitoring their staff more closely (Greenberg et al., 2020). Support measures such as psychologists and psychiatrists’ appointments, psychological assistance hotline, support groups and reading materials illustrating coping mechanisms to deal with stressors should also be provided without stigma (Santarone et al., 2020; Zaka et al., 2020). Since many professionals are afraid of going home and infecting their families, it is important to inform them about the safety measures that can minimize the chances of infection (Mamun et al., 2020c). Hospitals can also provide a place where the workers can rest and, if possible, record their hospital routine in order to share with their family (Zaka et al., 2020). Furthermore, the family members of the healthcare professionals should receive special access to testing and treatment, if necessary (Dutheil et al., 2020; Mamun et al., 2020c). Moreover, an adequate work environment is essential to diminish the mental health impact of the pandemic in healthcare professionals. In that matter, there should be sufficient PPE availability and detailed rules about its use, limited hours in each shift, dissemination of medical information through multiple platforms and languages, education about skills to deal with the patients psychological concerns, delaying of elective appointments and surgeries and, if possible, assembly of a backup force composed of capable retired workers and college students about to graduate for the times of higher patient volume (Dutheil et al., 2020; Santarone et al., 2020; Zaka et al., 2020). Special attention must be paid to preventive strategies of PTSD and its related risk of suicide in the upcoming months (Dutheil et al., 2020). Finally, it is important to acknowledge that targeting the psychological impact of the pandemic in healthcare professionals is also important to control the COVID-19 itself, since impaired mental health affects their attention, understanding and decision-making (Zaka et al., 2020). Elderly Considering the particularly detrimental consequences of social disconnection among the elderly, the benefits and damage of such restriction must be thoroughly and continuously
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