Our House: Covid-19 Protocols

Hey there. After numerous discussions with friends, family, and neighbors, it became apparent that many might benefit from this post. ...from knowing the safety protocols that our family is following in this trying time.

If you know all of this already, no harm done. If not. I hope that it helps you keep yourself and your family safe.

There is so much misinformation (you may know it as Bullshit) out there, some of it pointless, some of it stupid, some of it even seems sensible - or supposedly came from a reliable source. All of it is dangerous, either directly or if you rely upon it to protect you in ways that it can't.

As such, please cross check our family protocols with the CDC and the WHO - just as you should when you hear anything come out of your friend's, neighbor's, local or national politician's mouths.

So... all of that said, here are the bullet points on how we stay as safe as possible at my house:

Soap, distance, and time kill this damned thing. Unlike bacteria, viruses can't reproduce on their own. They need a host. Distance (in space and time) works. That's why the Chinese are now leveling off and we are still sky-rocketing in numbers.

Stay Home!!! As much as possible, just don't go places. Social distancing is 'the new normal' unless you want to take personal responsibility for killing someone. No? Then stay the %$@& home!

Now is really not now anymore. Think in terms of incubation times and virus survival times. Now you are fighting against that gas pump handle that someone touched 3 days ago (yes, it can live on smooth surfaces for up to several days). Meanwhile, 14 days from your last contact with anything or anyone outside your home is when you can be reasonably sure that you don't already have Covid-19 and can't spread it.

Wash hands frequently and don't touch your face. This one is especially hard for me as I often suffer from dry eyes. Wash for no less than 20 seconds. Pretend that you are about to do surgery on yourself or someone that you care about.

Shower daily, or more... more on that below.

Clean frequently, especially high-touch smooth items like floors, counters, doorknobs, light switches, cabinet and appliance handles, phones, computers, etc... Look around and think, really think, what do you (or your kids) touch a lot?

Don't order prepared food (Chinese, Pizza, etc...) for pick-up or delivery. You have no knowledge (and likely nor do they) as to the health of whomever prepared, packaged, or delivered it. It's just silly risk for minimal benefit. If you must order - microwave it for at least 1 minute before eating.

Stay stocked up on the basics, but not enough to weather the zombie apocalypse and deprive others of basic needs like toilet paper - just 14 day's worth.

If you have been hording face masks PLEASE deliver them to your local hospital NOW. Every healthcare worker that you save can save 50 or more of you and your loved-ones. When they get sick, people die. You don't want that on your conscience.

If you have to leave the house....

6 feet. That's your virtual bubble. Keep a 3 foot distance (on all sides and behind) from other people as much as you can. Try to think ahead and avoid bottlenecks where you will be forced to breach your bubble.

Go at off-peak (if there is still such a thing) times if you can. Less people = less virus. It's that simple.

Wipe EVERYTHING that you are about to touch with a disinfectant wipe. This means EVERYTHING, even stuff you would never think of like that last box of mac-n-cheese or plastic milk jug that you are grabbing off the shelf.

Note: The above also applies to packages being delivered to your home. Amazon is trying but, again, they don't know if they are sick or not until WAY too late for you. This virus can spread before there are symptoms - before you have any way of knowing that you have it.

Don't wear anything that you don't want to throw in the wash as soon as you get back home. In other words... now is not a good time to wear your fancy leather jacket or dry-clean-only blouse. Vanity can get REALLY expensive right now.

When you get back in your car... wipe everything. Outside handles. Your car key. Inside surfaces including wheel, handles and stalks (headlight switches, signals, etc...).

When you get home - STRIP. Outer clothes go straight in the washing machine and get run now. Then hit the shower immediately.

Once out of the shower and dressed, go back and wipe anything and everything that you might have touched on the way in the house... and to the shower. It may surprise you how easy it is to leave an invisible trail of potential contaminated surfaces.

Enforce your protocols. If you are having friends or family over - or your kids are - first, debate the wisdom of the gathering... but if you must, then enforce your protocol stringently. The only exception that we make is if friends that we know are following the same protocols at home come directly from their place to ours with no stops in between.

Think of the above as a rough guide... look at your own life and think about how you interact with people, places, and things. You'll find stuff that is unique to you that you never noticed before. I guarantee it.

Remember, 3 or 4 days before you touched it is how long ago it could have been contaminated... and 14 days is how long it takes to know that you are not sick or contagious yourself.

It's hard but you're smart and resilient. It's what humans are good at if we get the 'not fair' bullshit out of our head and just do what we need to.

Stay safe and happy and we'll see you on the other side!

• Matt