They don’t know how they got it…

So many people are saying they “don’t know how they got covid”.

Let’s analyze this.

(Preface: I’m not a medical professional in anyway. I’m a fellow citizens who doesn’t want to see more people getting sick. I merely want to challenge people to think about where they could be a little bit too casual and inadvertently exposing themself.)

Do you always wear a mask when you go outside? ‘Always’ means, anytime you go out your door. For example, taking out trash and recycling, going to the mailbox, going down the hall in your complex, going to a shared laundry facility, walking to your car. Only wearing a mask from the entrance of a store/business/medical facility etc. does not equal ‘always’. Not wearing your mask while pumping gas is not ‘always’. Not wearing a mask while at stop lights with windows rolled down is not ‘always’. Picking up at curbside or drive-thru without a mask is not ‘always’ when rolling down the window momentarily to speak to a person wearing a mask. Pulling down the mask under the nose is not ‘always’.

Do you always wear face coverings properly and properly designed ones? Wearing under the nose is not proper — even intermittently. If the virus is on the external side of the mask and you pull it under your nose — you could breathe it in that way! If your mask does not fit snugly around your nose and the rest of your face — it may not sufficiently protect you. Is the material effective? Does it have enough layers? If you have to keep pulling. your mask up over your nose that means it does not fit properly and will not protect you very well. What about the people you are around? What masks are they wearing?

Do you always use clean masks? ‘Clean’ means making the assumption that if you have worn the mask in proximity to another person — it could be contaminated and therefore no longer clean. If you literally wore a mask for a minute to step outdoors with not another human in sight — perhaps you can use that mask again. If you were near anyone — you need to assume the mask did it’s job and the virus could be on it.

When you remove your mask, do you do so careful as if the virus is on the mask, and dispose without touching the wrong, and then wash your hands thoroughly?

Do you hang your mask on your rearview mirror? Spoiler alert (if it has successfully blocked the virus, and virus particles are on the external side of the mask, they can end up airborne blowing around your vehicle if your mask is dangling…

Do you dispose of PPE including masks, face coverings, scarves, gloves as if they are contaminated — washing your hands thoroughly (or using sanitizer) including under your nails after removing PPE?

Do you wipe down everything that comes into your home? If not, do you wash your hands after handling those things?

Do you wash new clothes purchased before wearing, wether purchased in-store or online?

Do you wash your hands after handling any packages or mail delivered with the presumption it could have been contaminated?

Do you wipe down packing, containers of any takeout food with the presumption it is possible it could have been contaminated? What about the condiments?

If you go places like grocery stores, restaurants, medical offices etc where you could have been exposed to the virus because people had removed face coverings (even if not allowed) do you assume that clothing and any skin or hair exposed could have been contaminated? Do you remove clothes up on entering home? Do you take showers if it is possible your hair could be contaminated?

If you take your children to daycare, preschool, playgrounds do you remove their clothing and give them baths/showers when they get home on the presumption they could have been exposed to the virus?

Do you always social distance?

‘Aways’ means even when wearing PPE, staying as distant as possible from checkout clerks or behind plexiglass. When passing people on the street, do you maintain 6 feet of distance even when wearing a mask? Do you keep distance when going to areas like shopping districts, malls, public restrooms, etc.

Have you actually gotten out a measuring tape and measured 6 feet to be sure you know how far away that is?

Do you assume 6 feet is far enough in all circumstances?

Have you been in contact with any family, friends, acquaintances and even momentarily removed masks or not social distanced on the presumption that the person did not have the virus?

Have you been in contact with someone that did a rapid test and presumed it cleared them of any possibility of having the virus? Before making that decision did you find out when they could have last been exposed and how many days afterward they took the test?

Have you dined outdoors and assumed you were far enough away from others? Did you wonder if the tables and chairs were far enough apart even though it seemed some seats from other tables were too close? Did you move?

Did you know that for outdoor dining to meet requirements of ‘outdoor’ the structure or dining area must have at least 50% of perimeter unobstructed including no corners created by walls, and any barriers must be no higher than 3 feet? Did you know that otherwise there is insufficient airflow and that such a space is considered to have the same level of risk as dining indoors? Did you know that an outdoor dining space with ONLY a sun shelter with all four ‘walls’ or a circular perimeter completely open is the safest for dining outdoors?

When you come in and out of your home do you assume that your door knobs or elsewhere that you might touch, such as the door, is possibly contaminated and wash your hands?

When you touch dirty laundry including masks do you assume it could be contaminated and wash your hands after loading the washer? Do wipe the controls/buttons on the washer? The lid?

Do you disinfect high touch areas of your home regularly including interior — door knobs/locks, doorways, counters, stove oven knobs, microwave/fridge/dishwasher buttons handles, taps, toilet handle/buttons, washer/dryer buttons lids, light fixtures, window fixture openers, cupboard door handles, bathroom drawers, closet doors, exterior touch pads locks, mailboxes, doorbells…

The point of the questions is to make you reflect, are you potentially missing things that could increase the likelihood of you unwittingly being exposed to the virus? Could you do a little bit more to safeguard yourself and those around me? If you could do a little bit more what is the alternative if you choose not to?

Ultimately, the new virus has been circulating in humans for a little over a year. People keep making assumptions that they’ve done enough. I guess in the spirit of “more is better”, “dress for the job you want, not the one you have” — when you’re fighting an enemy you can’t see, why would you not err on the side of caution and operate with the assumption the invisible enemy could be everywhere? Especially since we don’t even know what makes the new strain more infectious.