Just A Thought RE: Coronavirus And Avoiding Same
I had a chilling thought. Let's suppose a person lives alone or in a small family group, in a secure dwelling, and has no need to go out. All bills are paid and all shopping is done online, and everything, even groceries, is delivered. He has no control over how those deliveries are handled, or by whom, before they were actually placed on the doorstep. Any time he steps out to bring in a box from Walmart or Amazon, he could very well be bringing the coronavirus into his home.
So, we can be careful. We can be cautious. We can take extraordinary steps to protect ourselves. But, in the final analysis, plain old dumb luck, or the lack of it, is a major factor.
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I listened to an "expert" yesterday about how long the virus lives on different surfaces. I would look it up for your purposes, but the part I remembered most was 2 hours on cardboard surfaces. 3 -
I have spray bottle of alcohol and paper towels right by the door , nothing gets touched until it's sprayed and wiped.
Same with shopping , I carry a spray bottle and wipe down all the sealed stuff I buy3 -
You aren't the first one to be concerned about this. Traces of covid-19 have been found on delivered packages; however, we don't know if the samples were virulent enough to have caused transmission from contact. You could open the package on your door step, remove the contents, & discard the box/envelope after waiting a day. You can't be too cautious. 3 -
There isn't much concern if the packages are left outside for a bit before being brought in. The virus doesn't live long on such surfaces. If there is remaining concern they can be sanitized as well. 0 -
Get the mail with gloves on. 0 -
Today I plugged my garage refrigerator in after it had its long winter nap. All of my shopping cold goods go into it and the dry goods stay in the garage. I will not tap into anything new for at least a week. I currently do not have enough proper anti-viral wipes, sprays, paper towels, etc. to clean everything but am fairly confident that allowing time for any pathogens to die should work. My mail and other deliveries also stay unopened in the garage for a week minimum as well.
I have been washing my hands so much these last few weeks that they have turned into tanned gator hide!3 -
Odds are odds. The more you do to to control exposure the better odds you have of not being exposed. In the case described proper handling of the package and good hand washing is the best things you can do to keep the odds as high s possible in your favor. 0 -
Alpine said:I listened to an "expert" yesterday about how long the virus lives on different surfaces. I would look it up for your purposes, but the part I remembered most was 2 hours on cardboard surfaces.
A few weeks ago, I listened to an "expert" from the World Health Organization state that this coronavirus is not contagious from person to person.3 -
I know a family who has been wiping down all deliveries with a bleach/water spray for years. No packaging brought into the house and the received item is wiped down before it it brought into the house. Always thought they were nuts. Turns out they were just ahead of the curve. 0 -
Glad to hear some of you are taking added precautions and taking this thing seriously. Sounds like I need to step up my game, on avoiding bringing anything home. To the degree that some of you have.
No gloves, no alcohol, hand sanitizer wipes, hand sanitizer to wipe stuff down to be had around here. Long gone. Disappear's as fast as it it put out.
I have a quart bottle of alcohol, a bottle of hand sanitizer, plenty of dish detergent/soap to wash hands with and a few sets of latex gloves. Plenty of bleach and bleach spray. Wish I had more.
My Brother asked me If I had aquired a N95 mask yet. I replied "Even the Hospitals can't get them. Where am I gonna find one?"
Watched Cuomo's daily address about what is going on in NY, this AM. Looks/sounds grim. 75,900+ cases. 350+ dead since yesterday. Hospitals overwhelmed. Expect to need 40,000 Ventilators before it is all done. Have a fraction of that amount. Only 54,000 Hospital beds in the whole State. Etc.
After much thought and contemplation, called work and described my concern about aquiring this due to my preexisting medical issues, and no Health insurance. Requested a "Leave of absence with the intention of returning." Extremely well received, was Told "Totally understand, I would do the same thing in your situation. Will talk to corporate tomorrow about a good employee, who I would like to see come back, taking a Leave of abscence due to Health concerns."
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We had a box of the N-95s in our emergency pack, Ken. Have a grandson with a lung condition, so we kept 2 and gave the rest to his folks.KenK/84Bravo said:Glad to hear some of you are taking added precautions and taking this thing seriously. Sounds like I need to step up my game, on avoiding bringing anything home. To the degree that some of you have.
No gloves, no alcohol, hand sanitizer wipes, hand sanitizer to wipe stuff down to be had around here. Long gone. Disappear's as fast as it it put out.
I have a quart bottle of alcohol, a bottle of hand sanitizer, plenty of dish detergent/soap to wash hands with and a few sets of latex gloves. Plenty of bleach and bleach spray. Wish I had more.
My Brother asked me If I had aquired a N95 mask yet. I replied "Even the Hospitals can't get them. Where am I gonna find one?"
Watched Cuomo's daily address about what is going on in NY, this AM. Looks/sounds grim.
After much thought and contemplation, called work and described my concern about aquiring this due to my preexisting medical issues, and no Health insurance. Requested a "Leave of absence with the intention of returning." Extremely well received, was Told "Totally understand, I would do the same thing in your situation. Will talk to corporate tomorrow about a good employee, who I would like to see come back, taking a Leave of abscence due to Health concerns."
I would take Cuomo's predictions with a grain of salt. New York is different than most of the rest of the country, and his predictions are based upon the rest of the country being like New York.
It is not. We are much more spread out, and I would hazard to guess that we are, in general, more respectful of the potential harm we could cause others than are many in the city.
Remember this guy?
https://www.foxnews.com/health/coronavirus-patient-zero-in-new-york-home-cuomoEarlier this month, New York City lawyer Lawrence Garbuz, 50, was revealed to be linked to a number of cases in New Rochelle. The case marked the first known instance of community spread in New York; some of the man’s relatives and friends later tested positive.
Many members of a synagogue where he had attended events were asked to quarantine themselves. Its rabbi also tested positive. Overall, Garbuz was linked to more than 90 cases in the area at the time.
CORONAVIRUS IN THE US: STATE-BY-STATE BREAKDOWN
“The ‘patient zero’ — what we call patient zero in Westchester, New Rochelle — who was very sick for a very long time, he has actually gone home,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed during a press conference on Sunday, as per the New York Post. “He’s out of the hospital.”
It was first reported that he was concerned about having the virus, but when he could not get a test, he went about his daily routine. This was in early March. By that time, we had doubled down on our policy that if you feel sick, do not come to work (a policy we have had in place for years, but one that has taken on added meaning now).
With crowded conditions and people like this, it is no wonder New York has a problem. By contrast, look at the stats for Washington State. We were once the epicenter, but our numbers stabilized a long time ago. This was in part because social venues were closed, but it was also because the individual acted in advance of government dictate. By the time our governor placed a close the state order, the actions taken by individual citizens of this state had already brought the problem under control.
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wonder if when this is all said and done (if) will we hear the politicians all hooting how they saved us.....be like the Anvil Chorus in stereo 0 -
I used to live up there Don. (For about 20+ years.) Finally made it back down to TN, about 8-9 years ago. I am very well of the differences, and Cuomo in general.
I do however appreciate your input.
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I think the chances of getting it from an Amazon package is pretty low unless the delivery person coughed on it right before you picked it up. That said, we're not playing around. As stupid as it may sound (mentioned in my other post), I have been using my 8 FT gaff hook to snag packages off the front porch and drag them around to the garage, where they sit in "quarantine" for at least 48 hours. Then, we still lysol the box and contents before handling items.
Overkill? Maybe. But, my wife is a mid-chemo cancer patient, so the stakes are high.0 -
Spent 4 years in upstate New York. Much closer in culture to Tennessee than it is to NYC, as you probably know.KenK/84Bravo said:I used to live up there Don. (For about 20+ years.) Finally made it back down to TN, about 8-9 years ago. I am very well of the differences, and Cuomo in general.
I do however appreciate your input.
I just don't get the current fawning over Cuomo. It is like hanging on every word of the weatherman after he caught caught out in the rain.3 -
I just went to get non-ethanol gas for small motors. The pump handle was wet with my hand sanitizer even before I pumped the gas, the credit card was treated before and after, I then filled all the cans and used more hand sanitizer to assure I was as safe as I could make myself.The booze store was just down the street. Doors were locked so I had to use the drive through for my jug of Jim Beam. Wiped everything down and discarded the paper bag. I think Jim Beam will help with any exposure I may have gotten.
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Kind of like what we are doing, I have gloves and wipes in each of the cars. I even wipe the steering wheel and shifter after I get in the car. But I agree with Nunn, I feel like with even with everthing we do it might be some dumb luck thing that is going to get us.GreatGuns said:My wife and I discussed a "protocol" for shopping today. With the proper use of gloves, antibacterial wipes along with a bleach solution in a spray bottle, things may be sanitized between the cart and the vehicle, then the door handle or trunk handle, then dispose of the gloves. We no longer make any cash purchases, don't want questionable change. I'm even being careful in dealing with the daily mail. With a 92 year old cancer and stroke survivor living with us, we are not taking any chances.
Jim
As of now my wife cannot leave the house as she is part of the group with weakened immune system. I told I will do all of the shopping. As long as get her books and wine she is all set.0 -
Lots of folks not going out, folks are having deliveries made.
Since my son is not working (but sill on salary), he signed up for a couple Deliver services. My son is making real good $$$ Delivering Groceries, in the last week . Not may folks are not wanting to go out. Average tip is $20.00
He picks up at the store (wipes the bags) and He leaves it at the customers door.
Same for the take out food, tips are less.. All told he averages $200 day in tips.
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I put everything in a washtub of boiling water for at least 10 minutes before it comes in the house. Been kind of hard on the poor dog. 12 -
The best stuff I make at home and put in a spray bottle depends on whats available. Ammonia mixed with water or bleach mixed with water. Follow instructions on the bottle to make a disinfectant solution. Been using ammonia because I have plenty of it.
I spray on shoes, packages, bags, door knobs but never on food.
I suggest everyone take a lesson from our SE Asian counterparts and remove your shoes before entering your home. Switch to some type of house shoe, slipper or socks when inside. You would not believe the number of bacteria, virons, and other crap that attaches itself to the bottom of your shoes
Apples and veggies soak in a solution of sodium chloride NaCL (salt), agitated and later the salt is washed off with cold H2O.
Never mix ammonia and bleach together. Doing so can be deadly.0 -
Here is a video that’s worth while to watch. He a nearby doctor and makes some very good points.
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Yeah, but the "experts" change the time frame every couple days. The last reports I bothered to listen to said 3-4 hours on cardboard. Three weeks ago it was 7 days on non metallic surfaces.Alpine said:I listened to an "expert" yesterday about how long the virus lives on different surfaces. I would look it up for your purposes, but the part I remembered most was 2 hours on cardboard surfaces.0 -
I'm not nearly as paranoid as some of you seem to be, and perhaps that's a mistake on my part. But there are also very few cases of the virus in our county. We're mostly staying home except for shopping and my golf. We wash our hands more often, my wife made us face masks (using a pattern for bikini tops!) that I call our Cyclops Bras. We wear them when we go to the store. That's about it. 0 -
How clean is your cash? 0 -
Picked up a 12 pack of Taco Bell Supreme crunchy Tacos yesterday. (First time in 4 months easy.)
Got to thinking that was not very smart. Was looking through the pickup window as they finished my order. You have no idea who is preparing your order, breathing in its vicinity, dry cough, sneeze etc.
This stuff makes you reevaluate most everything. No use islolating and being careful if you get takeout. Someone has to prepare it. You have no idea about the people doing so.
Made me think.
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That’s the truth. You have no idea how healthy that short order cook is or isn’t. Same with change from a $20... man this sux!KenK/84Bravo said:Picked up a 12 pack of Taco Bell Supreme crunchy Tacos yesterday. (First time in 4 months easy.)
Got to thinking that was not very smart. Was looking through the pickup window as they finished my order. You have no idea who is preparing your order, breathing in its vicinity, dry cough, sneeze etc.
This stuff makes you reevaluate most everything. No use islolating and being careful if you get takeout. Someone has to prepare it. You have no idea about the people doing so.
Made me think.
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I doubt this virus would last a minute on any Taco Bell product, Ken.KenK/84Bravo said:Picked up a 12 pack of Taco Bell Supreme crunchy Tacos yesterday. (First time in 4 months easy.)
Got to thinking that was not very smart. Was looking through the pickup window as they finished my order. You have no idea who is preparing your order, breathing in its vicinity, dry cough, sneeze etc.
This stuff makes you reevaluate most everything. No use islolating and being careful if you get takeout. Someone has to prepare it. You have no idea about the people doing so.
Made me think.
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doubt it will stay in your system long enough to take hold....................Don McManus said:
I doubt this virus would last a minute on any Taco Bell product, Ken.KenK/84Bravo said:Picked up a 12 pack of Taco Bell Supreme crunchy Tacos yesterday. (First time in 4 months easy.)
Got to thinking that was not very smart. Was looking through the pickup window as they finished my order. You have no idea who is preparing your order, breathing in its vicinity, dry cough, sneeze etc.
This stuff makes you reevaluate most everything. No use islolating and being careful if you get takeout. Someone has to prepare it. You have no idea about the people doing so.
Made me think.
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The problem is the Diablo sauce.
Johhny Cash, "Ring of Fire."
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In spite of best efforts, we're really just "flattening the curve". No way we can create a straight line. The only 100% thing you can do is not leave your house at all and not get any deliveries or mail. If you have one person coming and going it's really only a matter of time. There is no way to maintain lab grade de-sanitization practice every day of your life. Somewhere sometime, there will be a leak. You knew New York was screwed. Direct flights form China for a month before anybody knew what was going on.
I'm an essential worker. My wife is as well. We do what we can. We don't go anywhere on weekends. Really try to limit grocery store trips. Work from home when possible. Always using hand sanitizer. Can't get new. But this will sweep across the country despite best efforts and most likely everybody's immune system is going to be tested unless you can seal yourself in house for several months. Heard a doctor on radio suggest boosting Vitamin C to make a bigger hurdle for the virus to overcome to infect you. He says it's worth it because it's cheap and no side effects. He treats his entire nursing home with it as a precaution.
Many many people carry it and don't even know they have it. People that don't know they have underlying conditions might be killed by it. I'm not old but I'm not young. It is worrisome. Everybody responds differently so it is not to be taken lightly. If I was old and close to retirement, I'd retire. If I was retired, I'd try to go to the store once a month and not go out beyond that. They were saying on radio today the germs land on the floors and people walk through them and carry them. Asymptomatic people could sneeze from an allergy and the germs are then on the floor due to gravity.
Your mail carrier could have it and not know. I cringe getting the mail every day now. They need to get the 5 minute at home tests they keep talking about, out in people's hands. They're so concerned about overwhelming hospitals that they're sending actual Covid-19 patients home who are sick and some end up dying at home.
Where I live there's still people who don't even know what's going on and don't make much effort to be careful. I hate to see what is going on but knowing that the next two weeks will probably be really bad for a lot of locations, maybe they should shut down the pharmacies grocery stores and gas stations too. They won't do it because they're worried about civil unrest. So, we're gonna have people with Covid-19 instead of being shot because they're going hungry. At some point you gotta say what happens happens and hope we get through it. There's a 99% chance you can get through it. Best of luck to everyone.0
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