Let's dive right in. We have already had SARS and now COVID-19 in the span of 20 years. With human population exploding and existing humans living longer, hundreds of thousands of "human beings all jostling each other within the space of a few square miles"1 will become a common theme in pretty much every square mile of the planet. That means, this sort of pandemic will become more common. Secondary inference: we need to get into the habit of quickly adapting to similar situations as they arise in the future. So now is as good a time as any to start practicing.
Those of you who have always had a habit of washing your hands once you get indoors, be it home or the office, you are in luck. Because we already have a stockpile of hand-wash soap and sanitizers on hand.
I have noticed some men in public urinals handling a smartphone in one hand while operating machinery with the other and then not washing their hands before exiting the restroom. Ugh! Those of you who don't have a habit of washing your hands, well, here now is a great opportunity to finally develop a healthy life-long habit.
Social distancing is not a request. It is an obligation to your community. Homebodies are in luck as they don't really have to do anything remarkable. But those of us who have a need to get out under the sun or hit the gym will need to curb our enthusiasm and just rein it in. I have resistance bands on hand. And, of course, calisthenics. Time to start practicing the handstand and doing a little tumbling work. Gyms closing temporarily are a great idea as everybody touches everything and breathes out something heavy in gyms. Therefore, sanitizing surfaces and spraying to negate aerosols in such environments may just not be good or fast enough.
Having difficulty shedding those extra pounds? This would be a great time to ration your supplies, eat less and lose some serious weight!
Having difficulty in stopping spending on drinks at your local watering hole.. or on amazon.com every month and then promptly getting rid of cardboard packaging, etc.? Well, let's use this opportunity to rein all that in.
In an ideal society, there will not be any panic buying. But there are no ideal societies. Particularly in a democracy like the United States which is home to a vast number of group mentalities and mindsets, and therefore deep distrust between groups and between groups and their government, panic buying will be the norm. It is hard to fault parents with young children and the elderly in such situations. But everyone else should make an effort to be considerate in their purchases and put trust in the infrastructure that they have had a hand in gradually building and honing over the decades. So be considerate and leave some supplies on the shelf for others. This is easier said than done though because.. there are no ideal societies.
Continue ordering the occasional food delivery to support your local **reputable** restaurants but be prepared to disinfect surfaces of the food containers -- using wipes and not by spraying -- just behind your front door.
Notice that other than the hand washing part, which should be general practice anyway, there is no "medical advice" in this post. If you are not a medical expert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stop texting and forwarding home grown or unattributed medical advice to your family and friends. I get this stuff everyday from family and it annoys me to no end.. because then, when they do call, I don't feel like taking their calls.
Lastly, it would be a good idea to stop constantly talking and posting about COVID-19. I, for one, am tired of hearing about the damn thing. You have done everything in your control to prevent the spread of this virus. Now we wait for the pandemic to slow down and end. But how about this post then? It is talking about COVID-19? Well, nobody reads my blog. So its okay!
Those of you who have always had a habit of washing your hands once you get indoors, be it home or the office, you are in luck. Because we already have a stockpile of hand-wash soap and sanitizers on hand.
I have noticed some men in public urinals handling a smartphone in one hand while operating machinery with the other and then not washing their hands before exiting the restroom. Ugh! Those of you who don't have a habit of washing your hands, well, here now is a great opportunity to finally develop a healthy life-long habit.
There is no point in blaming China for this pandemic. It is what it is. We have to trust in China's ability to prevent such infections from arising in the future. But we should also see this as an opportunity for medical and emergency responders around the world to better anticipate and work together in future should such a situation arise. And more situations like this will arise. Vaccines might be developed faster but there will be infections and deaths first.
Social distancing is not a request. It is an obligation to your community. Homebodies are in luck as they don't really have to do anything remarkable. But those of us who have a need to get out under the sun or hit the gym will need to curb our enthusiasm and just rein it in. I have resistance bands on hand. And, of course, calisthenics. Time to start practicing the handstand and doing a little tumbling work. Gyms closing temporarily are a great idea as everybody touches everything and breathes out something heavy in gyms. Therefore, sanitizing surfaces and spraying to negate aerosols in such environments may just not be good or fast enough.
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| If it’s a sunny, “near Spring” day out, bring your beach gear out to the balcony and do a bit of reading! |
Having difficulty shedding those extra pounds? This would be a great time to ration your supplies, eat less and lose some serious weight!
Having difficulty in stopping spending on drinks at your local watering hole.. or on amazon.com every month and then promptly getting rid of cardboard packaging, etc.? Well, let's use this opportunity to rein all that in.
In an ideal society, there will not be any panic buying. But there are no ideal societies. Particularly in a democracy like the United States which is home to a vast number of group mentalities and mindsets, and therefore deep distrust between groups and between groups and their government, panic buying will be the norm. It is hard to fault parents with young children and the elderly in such situations. But everyone else should make an effort to be considerate in their purchases and put trust in the infrastructure that they have had a hand in gradually building and honing over the decades. So be considerate and leave some supplies on the shelf for others. This is easier said than done though because.. there are no ideal societies.
Continue ordering the occasional food delivery to support your local **reputable** restaurants but be prepared to disinfect surfaces of the food containers -- using wipes and not by spraying -- just behind your front door.
Notice that other than the hand washing part, which should be general practice anyway, there is no "medical advice" in this post. If you are not a medical expert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stop texting and forwarding home grown or unattributed medical advice to your family and friends. I get this stuff everyday from family and it annoys me to no end.. because then, when they do call, I don't feel like taking their calls.
Lastly, it would be a good idea to stop constantly talking and posting about COVID-19. I, for one, am tired of hearing about the damn thing. You have done everything in your control to prevent the spread of this virus. Now we wait for the pandemic to slow down and end. But how about this post then? It is talking about COVID-19? Well, nobody reads my blog. So its okay!
1 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Blue Carbuncle↩
