WHERE at least one is an essential worker, or at lest one needs to leave the Shelter in Place premises for any reason:
As the global COVID-19 Pandemic crosses the ONE MILLION CoronaVirus positive number, with USA almost at 250,000, many deaths and an unknown future for us all, here is PLAN for roommates and families when at least one of them cannot “Shelter in Place” or isolate due to being an essential worker, etc.
THIS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE for the advisories you are receiving at work, and must be read alongside the WHO and Health Department advisories.
Hopefully people realize that the minute they leave home during the CoronaVirus pandemic, there are unknowns that they can bring back into the home. What we have learned just today is that this VIRUS is likely being spread through breathing and talking and singing not just coughing and sneezing, and touching surfaces.
THIS IS an extreme situation we are in and I many of us are feeling the stress. Having rules in place can mitigate anxiety and fear and create clear understandings, which will help also reduce the potential for conflict.
As this pandemic becomes more serious, it gets “closer to home” and so people should be hyper-vigilante as to their movements, where they go, what they touch and their surroundings.
Please feel free to adapt this and print it out for your roommates/family etc.
LETS PROMISE THE FOLLOWING TO EACH OTHER PLEASE:
- Because of Shelter in Place rule, please ensure you ONLY go to and from work
- When using gas pumps cover your hands with glove, then ditch glove safely, sanitize and wash hands right away when you get home
- Promise that we will not visit with friends during this time at all – even if it is to and from your place of shelter to another who is in complete lockdown and isolation\
- Do not visiting external family – and that if we do, we will disclose such to each other right away, beforehand
- Please wash hands at least once per hour while at work, for 20 secs, with soap, sanitize and more as needed. PLEASE wear a mask at work and when leaving house. Please ask work to provide mask. Ditch that mask or covering before entering house, sanitize hands
- Reduce the amount of times we go to market possibly to once per week, if possible (or order delivered groceries where possible) and please wear gloves and mask when doing so – to discard before bringing into house. Please leave parcels in entry way (adapt to your set up) and unpack from there and then ditch bags in a pile outside – to remove later with trash. Please use gloves to open trash outside. Wash hands well after tossing trash. Mail pickup assigned to one person only, once per week, with washing protocols adhered to
- When in an elevator building/stairwell, please use gloves and face mask cover, and follow your building’s COVID-19 protocols, such as limit to 1 person per elevator at a time (or with household unit members only)
- When coming into home strictly follow this protocol, without exception:–
a) Please DO NOT first enter kitchen area- go direct to you bathroom sinks.
b) If house has more than one bathroom, assign separate sinks for washing- First wash hands in own sink – before touching ANYTHING
c) Then remove clothing that you wore out in our own rooms – and change into inside clothing
d) Then wash hands again
e) Then unpack groceries (from entry hall) – and place bags outside front door
f) After unpacking groceries/ after cooking/ after using kitchen etc. please wipe down the kitchen counters , stove, and fridge and all handles AND dining table.
g) Before and after using kitchen please wash hands
h) After using bathroom please use the disinfectant to spray and wipe bath, toilet, floor – every time you use it spray bathtub/ shower and then rinse
j) keep own shampoos, brushes, lotions, soaps, etc., separate
k) Wash and disinfect your sink area at least twice per day – including door handles and light -switches
l) Promise of 100% Social distancing to the extent possible everywhere including at work
m)PLUS – add your custom concerns…
9. Let’s ensure we stay at least 6 feet away from each other!! They have now said this is coming through breathing and talking – so best we avoid being in same room for any length of time -until we know we are clear.
10. WHAT IF ONE GETS TESTED POSITIVE OR SICK? Have a plan set up in advance: Have an emergency plan in place, as well as the telephone numbers of nearest and dearest of each available for the others
UPDATED ADVISORIES: I will add to this as I hear more here:
Just listened to Sanjay Gupta on CNN:
Clean off your grocers by wiping them down with soap/household cleaner from “dirty” area to clean area. Then clean off the dirty area after. Wash hands.
He believes that if you are an essential worker – grocery/ airline/caregiver/medical – you should try have your own separate bathroom if possible, isolate in your own area in house, and avoid roommate contact, have separate utensils, cutlery and plates etc. and wash them right after use
If this all seems extreme – yes it is – because one or the other of those in the shared situation are not able to STRICTLY shelter-in-place due to their work. This is all new and a learning curve. And suggestions and updated data is welcomed.
On the upside: while this is a painful reality, we will get through this and everything will be back to normal. But we MUST ALL do all of the above as a serious commitment to each other, and to our healthcare workers and to all those putting their lives on the line in this unprecedented nightmare and fight. Lets hope it will only be mere months of this, so that one day in the future it will seem like a mere blip of time.
Stay safe and healthy everyone, and let us be mindful of those suffering pain, illness, loss and grief at this time.
Many Blessings to all the World. We are in this together.
REMEMBER: People can carry the virus and pass it on without showing any symptoms! Therein lies the great danger…..
MELANIE NATHAN
My E-mail – commissionermnathan@gmail.com
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