What are “best practices” and how can we make them part of our lives

Stay At Home has now become Safe At Home here in Ohio.  We are starting to return to our workplaces and our favorite stores will be open again.  And we will be implementing some new “best practices” into our everyday lives.

This gives me a vision of people opening their front doors and blinking at the sunlight.  They stretch their bodies and a smile begins to slowly come over their face as their eyes adjust to the light.  The world is now a brighter place, thanks to the reduction in air pollution caused by cars and factories.  And we just want to run out and embrace it!

Some people will want to rush right out and hug everyone they see.  Others will want to simply let their kids play on the playground equipment again.  And some will want to get all their friends together and throw a St. Patrick’s Day/March Madness/Passover/Easter/Cinco de Mayo party the likes of which the world has never seen!

I will honestly miss the sounds of the birds and the squirrels when they are drowned out by the returning sound of increased traffic.  Right now I can hear a distant train whistle once in a while that I’m sure will disappear into the noise of a busy world soon.

The New Normal

We must take a lesson from the caterpillar and emerge from our chrysalis slowly.  It takes that caterpillar 10-14 days to come out as a completely transformed being.  The emerging butterfly cannot immediately fly.  It must give its wings a chance to fill with fluid from its abdomen and then dry & harden so it can successfully fly.  (Read more about the process HERE.)   Even though we’ve “flattened the curve,” and given our health care system a fighting chance, the virus is still out there.  And people will still get sick.

But this is a sickness like none we’ve ever known.  Reports are that it is extremely painful and lingers 2-3 weeks in various stages.  So we must continue to practice good, safe hygiene.  Honestly, we should’ve been doing this even before the virus was discovered.  Health Department compliance is second nature to those of us in (or who used to be in) food service.  Rules must be followed to keep the people around us safe.  Our new reality – the new normal – says this safety must now extend beyond food service.  We must follow these “best practices” every day.

Best practice:  Keep your distance!

Our most important tool as we emerge from our chrysalis is to stay at least 6 feet away from others.  This is the distance water droplets can travel in the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks before gravity pulls them down.  And not everyone who is infected even knows they’ve been infected.  New testing shows that even those with no symptoms might be carriers.  So stay on the safe side and stay 6 feet away from others while out in public.

Best practice:  Wash your hands!

You cannot wash your hands too often!  Always wash before you eat, after you use the restroom, and after you cough, sneeze, or blow your nose.  Wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.  If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol.  Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Here’s a good video from the CDC about handwashing.  (There’s no sound!)

 

Best practice:  Wear a cloth face cover!

This is not to keep you from getting sick.  This practice helps you to keep others safe.  You may be carrying the virus and not have any symptoms.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health says acceptable, reusable face covering options for the general public include bandanas, neck gaiters, homemade face coverings, scarves, tightly woven fabric, such as cotton t-shirts, and some types of towels

While these are not intended to be a replacement for physical distance, they are an extra layer of protection against spread.

Best practice:  Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue!

To protect those who share space with you when you do not have a face covering on, grab a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.  Always throw the tissue away and immediately wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.

Best practice:  Clean and disinfect daily!

Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.  If surfaces are dirty, clean them first and then disinfect.

The New Normal includes “best practices”

The safest place to be right now is still at home, especially for those who are elderly or otherwise in a high risk population (see the CDC guidelines for this HERE).  But it is also important that we begin to return to normal in our jobs and our daily activities.  Using the above “best practices” will help us to move into the sunlight again and create our new normal.

Stay Safe!