Poll: How many of these tasks do you do regarding possible covid surfaces?

[ckelly78z]

I look at all of this as a measure of fate...if i'm destined to get this virus, and die from it, that's what is going to happen without much of what I do influencing the outcome.

If I have been out in public I wash my hands/face with soap, but have only used hand sanitizer twice this year. I wear a mask if I am forced to, and by nature, I tend to avoid other people, and rather keep my distance (just like I always did before I was told to do it).

 

[Boho]

Sometimes I let packages sit for a few days when I unbag them. If I want to use a can sooner than that I'll wash it with dish soap. Sometimes I wash cartons of milk before refrigerating them but usually I wash them before the first use, with dish soap. Anything refrigerated or frozen I tend to think has coronavirus preserved on it even past a few days and I wash them at some point. I haven't been washing the refrigerator shelf they're on but I probably should.

For my hands I almost always use soap and water, not disinfectant, but I bought a bottle of disinfectant.

 

[Amethyst]

From the very start, I was more worried about people transmitting the coronavirus through breathing and talking, than through touch. This is partly because of reading, early on, that the COVID-19 virus is related to colds and SARS and that people's lungs were being attacked.

I was a very early mask adopter - sewed our own rather clumsy cloth ones, while a hideously overpriced box of paper masks slowly made its way to us from China.

I quit the gym before it closed. I wasn't about to huff and puff in the same room with a bunch of other people.

We always did wash our hands quite a bit (me especially, since I'm always doing tasks that get my hands dirty) but I never liked hand sanitizer. I always did wash fresh vegetables - my Mother taught me that. Wiping down the mail, etc., just seemed pointless.

 

[RobbieB]

Ever since I learned that surfaces were not so deadly as inhaling virus I haven't been much concerned about surfaces.

 

[Boho]

A few days ago I bought Chinese food for the first time since March. I threw away their napkins and fork. What are you supposed to do with a contaminated fork, lick the food off of it so none gets on your outer lip? The acid in your mouth supposedly makes eating the virus safe, as if you can't inhale it through your mouth, but you're not supposed to get it on your face, and I consider my lips part of my face.

 

[timo2]

Ever since I learned that surfaces were not so deadly as inhaling virus I haven't been much concerned about surfaces.

+1
But I was concerned with some surfaces before covid, so I'll still wipe some things down. Now it just doesn't seem so obsessive.

 

[2017ish]

I keep wondering about how much I should do to clean things up.

I responded with all negatives, but take with appropriate grain of salt. We've continued to travel (Alaska, lower 48, and international) and eat in restaurants post-march, albeit constricted by lockdowns.

 

[jollystomper]

I still wash my hands thoroughly (something I have done years before the pandemic, in part due to frequent traveling) and have hand sanitizer in car that I use after getting in from someplace.

I am not concerned about packages, we will leave for a few hours but do not wipe them down. I will wash my hands after opening them.

I will use gloves for pumping gas or at the gym.

If I have to open doors, if it opens inwards I will push with a forearm or shoulder. If it opens outward, I try to grab the handle at an uncommon spot. I will use hand sanitizer, most places now make it available near the doors.

I clean surfaces as I did before the pandemic.

 

[geeky_grrl]

I quarantine any non-perishable items I get delivered for a few days. I wash my hands after bring the package in and when I open it in a couple of days.

I've kept my local groceries deliveries/pickups down to minimum - about quarterly at this point. I do take the produce out of the bags it came it, wash, and put in clean bags. I haven't done vigilantly that with all perishables I've had shipped though - I didn't wash the ice cream or cheese I had shipped for example.

All my library checkouts are e-books. And I haven't gone shopping in person since February so I haven't needed to shop in person.

 

[mountainsoft]

I have never wiped down packages or groceries that come into our home. I've also never used hand sanitizer, I can't stand the feel or smell of the stuff. However, I avoid touching my face (using the back of my hand if I absolutely need to scratch my nose or something), and wash my hands thoroughly as soon as I get home. I've followed these practices for years and managed to avoid other diseases like the flu and common cold. So I figure it's good practice for COVID as well.

The primary difference is that I now wear a mask and keep my distance to minimize exposure to COVID (which I'm sure helps with the other diseases as well).

You can try to minimize the risk, but none of this is a sure thing. There are plenty of folks who did all the right things and still ended up with COVID.

 

[pacergal]

Being a public health RN, I have always been a hand washing person, and carry hand sanitizer in my purse.

During flu season, I usually upped my housecleaning, and, so with Covid, I have added a few more surfaces.
I also wipe down door handles, light switches, other high touch surfaces in the house at least twice a week.
We have UV air purifiers in each room running 24/7 and on housecleaning day, I have the windows open for at least one hour to bring in fresh air, even in the winter.
Probably overkill, but to me, better safe than sorry!

 

[Agapostemon]

Masks and hand-washing

Whenever I wash my hands, I feel grateful for Dr. Fauci's appearance on Stephen Colbert in March, showing how doctors wash their hands with fingers interlaced, including backs and thumbs. I use a count of eight each for palms, backs (*2), thumbs(*2), and all over to get to 20 seconds.



We were more paranoid about surfaces in March, complete with wiping down anything that entered the house. Now food gets put away promptly and the bags stashed. When that's done, we wash our hands. We do still age the letters and packages for a day. When eating takeout or delivery, I open all the containers, then wash my hands before eating.


We wear masks when out of the house. Generally I pick a reuseable cloth mask for short periods outdoors, and a disposable paper mask for longer periods indoors (ie. shopping). Every time we re-enter the car, we use hand sanitizer. Upon returning home, we wash our hands.

 

[Lsbcal]

Being a public health RN, I have always been a hand washing person, and carry hand sanitizer in my purse.

During flu season, I usually upped my housecleaning, and, so with Covid, I have added a few more surfaces.
I also wipe down door handles, light switches, other high touch surfaces in the house at least twice a week.
We have UV air purifiers in each room running 24/7 and on housecleaning day, I have the windows open for at least one hour to bring in fresh air, even in the winter.
Probably overkill, but to me, better safe than sorry!

I like your last sentence.

We occasionally see stories in the news or even on this site about people who were extremely careful and don't know how they were infected.

 

[Boho]

That's another reason for casement windows. You can get more UV rays to disinfect the room. Glass blocks them.

I'm surprised so few people would clean the plastic book jackets on library books.

 

[H2ODude]

Once the concentration of attention went to aerosols I lost interest in surfaces other that general care to wash hands or sanitizer after being in public areas. Groceries, packages, mail all come into house and get put away as they came.

One thing I'm unusually careful with is the masks. I reuse a series of N95's and take great care to hand sanitize after handling and putting them on. When I get in car and remove use similar care to remove and hand sanitize. My assumption is that if a mask is really doing what we think it does (filter viral particles) then it should be treated carefully as a contaminated virus sponge after use. After it sits on my sunny dashboard for a few days I figure it's good for another round.

 

[MissMolly]

That's another reason for casement windows. You can get more UV rays to disinfect the room. Glass blocks them.

I'm surprised so few people would clean the plastic book jackets on library books.

The thing about library books could be because many people (like me) get all their library books on their Kindle, so never have an actual book to wipe down.

 

[AtlasShrugged]

I have a different view of Covid-19 precautions. I'm skeptical they are effective. Despite everything countries all over the world have done for the last nine months, cases continue to surge. I think nature is going to have her way with us regardless of what we do. I think the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky summed it up nicely when he wrote:

"Nature does not ask your permission, she has nothing to do with your wishes, and whether you like her laws or dislike them, you are bound to accept her as she is, and consequently all her conclusions."

As usual, I always hold open the possibility I could be dead wrong.

 

[harllee]

Everything that comes into my house other than perishables (like mail, packages, groceries) goes into the quarantine corner for a day or two. Refrigerated food gets wiped down with disinfectant wipes, produce gets washed with water.
For take out food I remove it from the container it comes in, disposable of that container, wash my hands and microwave the food. I tell the restaurant not to send utensils or condiments (if I get them I throw them away).

I frequently wear disposable gloves if I am in a situation outside my home where I have to touch something (like a fuel pump) and I cannot immediately was my hands.

I am very careful washing my hands and wash for at least 20 seconds.

DH is 70 and has an autoimmune disease so I am extra careful to protect him.

 

[harllee]

I have a different view of Covid-19 precautions. I'm skeptical they are effective. Despite everything countries all over the world have done for the last nine months, cases continue to surge. I think nature is going to have her way with us regardless of what we do. I think the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky summed it up nicely when he wrote:

"Nature does not ask your permission, she has nothing to do with your wishes, and whether you like her laws or dislike them, you are bound to accept her as she is, and consequently all her conclusions."

As usual, I always hold open the possibility I could be dead wrong.

Atlas, I think the problem is that a substantial number of people are not doing much of anything to prevent the spread. People are refusing to wear masks or social distance, people are still gathering for parties, Churches are still meeting inside with no precautions. I would agree with you if everyone were following the rules and the virus was still increasing. But people are not following the rules. It is my thought that if every wore masks and social distanced the virus would be gone.

 

[jimbee]

Atlas, I think the problem is that a substantial number of people are not doing much of anything to prevent the spread. People are refusing to wear masks or social distance, people are still gathering for parties, Churches are still meeting inside with no precautions. I would agree with you if everyone were following the rules and the virus was still increasing. But people are not following the rules. It is my thought that if every wore masks and social distanced the virus would be gone.

This x1000.

 

[Katsmeow]

We keep hand sanitizer and wipes in the car so if someone goes to a store they can use one or both afterwards. If something is brought into the front part of the car it gets wiped down.

I also wash hands at least 20 seconds after being out of the house. (I rarely go anywhere). Also if I touch something that comes into the house from outside I wash hands. If I set a box or bag from outside on the counter we will wipe down the counter using a disinfectant wipe.

Mail -- we wait 24 hours before bringing it in after it is delivered. If we open something early then we wash our hands.

Food items -- early on we wiped everything down with disinfectant (well not fruits or veggies -- those we would rinse with water. We have loosened up on that as I have learned more. We usually just wait 24 hours before touching stuff we just bought. If we need to open something before the 24 hours is up then we do wash our hands after touching it.

Take out food -- We transfer food to our own plates. After we are finished we wash our hands. We occasionally keep food in the packaging until we eat it. The other day we got sandwiches and there was a special where he got 4 sandwiches for the price of 2. We kept the 2nd set and ate the next day. I kept the sandwich in its wrapping in the refrigerator. The next day when I took it out I washed my hands.

 

[AtlasShrugged]

Atlas, I think the problem is that a substantial number of people are not doing much of anything to prevent the spread. People are refusing to wear masks or social distance, people are still gathering for parties, Churches are still meeting inside with no precautions. I would agree with you if everyone were following the rules and the virus was still increasing. But people are not following the rules. It is my thought that if every wore masks and social distanced the virus would be gone.

Harlee,

I think most of us would agree that the spread of Covid-19 is a function of the virus as well as human behavior. So, you and I agree that behavior matters.

But here’s the rub. There are over 7 billion people on the planet. It’s unrealistic to think that all of them are going to act in unison on anything. This is particularly true when they are being asked to do something that runs counter to human nature. Humans are incredibly social animals and wearing masks is not easy or natural for many people. Covid-19 precautions run smack into nature. This is why I think nature is going to have her way.

Killing the virus with vaccines is the game changer. Let’s hope it works.

A final thought …
I understand many people are fearful and that my perspective is not widely held. It’s not the first time I’ve been out on a branch by myself. However, for those of you who might be afraid, allow me to offer you a dose of optimism. I have included a link to a recent article by Morgan Housel. He writes about the good that may come out of Covid-19. I hope you derive some comfort from his thoughts. I know I did.

https://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/we-have-no-idea-what-happens-next/

 

[harllee]

Harlee,

I think most of us would agree that the spread of Covid-19 is a function of the virus as well as human behavior. So, you and I agree that behavior matters.

But here’s the rub. There are over 7 billion people on the planet. It’s unrealistic to think that all of them are going to act in unison on anything. This is particularly true when they are being asked to do something that runs counter to human nature. Humans are incredibly social animals and wearing masks is not easy or natural for many people. Covid-19 precautions run smack into nature. This is why I think nature is going to have her way.

Killing the virus with vaccines is the game changer. Let’s hope it works.

A final thought …
I understand many people are fearful and that my perspective is not widely held. It’s not the first time I’ve been out on a branch by myself. However, for those of you who might be afraid, allow me to offer you a dose of optimism. I have included a link to a recent article by Morgan Housel. He writes about the good that may come out of Covid-19. I hope you derive some comfort from his thoughts. I know I did.

https://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/we-have-no-idea-what-happens-next/

Atlas, I read the article you have attached. I am sure there will be some good things that come out of the pandemic, but to me whatever good comes out of the pandemic will not be worth the cost we have endured--the lives lost, the people left with permanent disabilities, the terrible economic toll, the children who have missed schooling.

Yes, I am fearful. Right now one of my best friends in in the ICU with Covid and I am praying that he lives. I am also very fearful for my 89 year old mother--3 people in her Independent Living apartment building now have Covid.

I think that wearing a mask is easy. It took a few hours but I got use to it pretty fast. From everything I have read we will still need to wear a mask for a long time even after the vaccine.

I don't think wearing a mask is counter to human nature. We all want to survive and if wearing a mask allows us to survive I think most people are willing to do it, if we are educated on the necessity of wearing a masks and if our leaders ask us to do it.

 

[unclemick]

Soo - If Newton invented Calculus after leaving town for The Plague what will be the result from isolation due to Covid.

Heh heh heh - Think positive. Right?

 

[AtlasShrugged]

Atlas, I read the article you have attached. I am sure there will be some good things that come out of the pandemic, but to me whatever good comes out of the pandemic will not be worth the cost we have endured--the lives lost, the people left with permanent disabilities, the terrible economic toll, the children who have missed schooling.

Yes, I am fearful. Right now one of my best friends in in the ICU with Covid and I am praying that he lives. I am also very fearful for my 89 year old mother--3 people in her Independent Living apartment building now have Covid.

I think that wearing a mask is easy. It took a few hours but I got use to it pretty fast. From everything I have read we will still need to wear a mask for a long time even after the vaccine.

I don't think wearing a mask is counter to human nature. We all want to survive and if wearing a mask allows us to survive I think most people are willing to do it, if we are educated on the necessity of wearing a masks and if our leaders ask us to do it.

I sincerely wish the best for your friends and family members. Really!

Just so you don't think l'm a knuckle dragging Neanderthal, my mother died in June, my sister in law almost died in May, and my 93 year old father is currently locked down in an assisted living center where Covid-19 is raging out of control in the memory care unit. I'm not fearful, because none of this is within my control.