Coronavirus – it’s basically the ONLY thing people are talking about right now, and it has upended most of our lives. So I wanted to hop on here with a weekend post to share my thoughts and what we’re going to do.
In case you’ve been away from the news, novel Coronavirus (or Covid19) started in China in January 2020. The virus has spread across the world over the past three months and is now in every US state. I think the awareness of Covid started maybe a month ago? I heard about it before that but I was more aware and following it in the middle of February.
Well I feel like “awareness” has definitely shifted in the past week to action. Coronavirus is in virtually all of our communities – or it will be soon! – and the time to take action is upon us. Basically, we need to *slow* the spread so we don’t inundate our healthcare system. We only have so many providers, ICU beds, ventilators and medicine to care for the sick people – so they can’t show up all at once. This might be like the flu for people without any health issues, and under age 60, but for people over 60 this is NOT like the flu. It has substantially worse outcomes (15% mortality over 80) that should not be ignored. Left unchecked, we could easily have hundreds of thousands of Americans – or even 1 million – die.
80% of people who have Coronavirus might not know, so we all need to take precautions. But the grocery stores are chaos, schools are closed or closing, and offices are asking people to work remotely. My husband is an ER doc so he will be on the front lines of this virus over the upcoming months. So – what should we do?
Our way of life will change significantly and here are our plans. These plans help my family stay healthy but they also help the community by stopping or slowing the spread of any illnesses. We can all do our part!
All The Time
- HANDWASHING! ALL THE TIME! When we get home, before we eat, after we change every diaper, whenever I touch anything dirty – basically 100 times a day. This is the most important step you can take.
- Spend the majority of our time at home – No more errand runs or walks around the mall for now.
- If we develop symptoms, we won’t leave our house
- Grocery pickup is our jam. If needed, my husband will go into a store because he has the biggest chance of getting it anyways 🙂
- Limit or cancel small social gatherings. We really are going to say no to virtually everything we can. Most of our friends are residents so my husband works with them – so seeing them off work isn’t really that different. They’re all together anyways.
- No crowds. No games, concerts, or big events on our schedule anymore.
At Home
- More cleaning – spraying every doorknob and lightswitch before I go to bed with Lysol.
- Switching hand towels daily.
- Washing cups daily (we use our Yetis all the time for water but we don’t wash them daily – that’s changing).
- Washing our bath towels and sheets more frequently.
- No shoes inside – not new but being more strict about it.
- My husband is going to shower after every shift!
- Open the windows – this is not scientifically proven to make a difference for Covid, but in general airflow helps with viruses. Plus I love fresh air! (more info here and here)
Entertainment While At Home!
We’re going to be spending more time at home than we have since she was a newborn. So here’s what I have on the agenda to keep us entertained…
- Walk to the park in our neighborhood. If there are people on the swings we won’t stay, but they’re usually deserted. My goal is to get a walk in every day it’s not raining. Walking makes it easy to stay distant from people but get out of your house.
- Drive to a random part of town to walk – I love looking at pretty houses.
- Have her help me cook. She LOVES being with me in the kitchen, and now that we have more time I might have her help more. (As much as a 13 month old can haha)
- Ride my Peloton every other day.
*Reliable* Information
There is a ton of misinformation out there, so really check where you’re getting it from. These links are all trustworthy and updated regularly!
The CDC // Johns Hopkins // Mayo Clinic // Your local health department!
It is a very stressful and unsettling time. I feel it too! I’m trying to rely on our routines and structure of our day to keep it feeling as normal as possible. I hope that the actions we take can slow down this virus and keep people healthy.
