How are you coping with coming out of lock down? Are you a person who is itching to get out or are you more like me and taking it slowly? After all, it’s not over yet is it? We can’t stay in our homes for ever but we all have a responsibility to care for others. It is time for everyone in the community to take care of each other as they come out of lock down so that everyone feels safe. Outbreaks will occur and further lock downs will be imposed but we can all play a part to minimise these outbreaks and subsequently reduce the inconvenience for all.
I have some tips for you to help you come out of lock down, but first a bit of background……
Early on in the pandemic we took steps to make sure that our home was a safe haven or our ‘castle’. We purchased a large bottle of isopropyl alcohol and found a recipe for hand sanitiser that would meet the current requirements for preventing COVID-19. We made 70% alcohol spray to be used to clean surfaces and investigated ways to make our own ‘wipes’ so that we could clean down surfaces both outside and inside the home, including all the shopping and parcels that we brought into the home. As things started to get worse we just stopped going out and I joined up with some amazing people to make cloth face masks for health workers. I started making masks too for anyone who needed them, including family and friends who could not stay home all the time. This not only kept me busy but refreshed my sewing skills!
Thinking ahead and putting these precautions in place has served us well as have the masks I made, and can be used as we move out of lock down……
Tip #1 Take your own handwash and sanitiser with you wherever you go.
We were able to purchase alcohol back in March this year to make hand sanitiser. If you read our post about this you will see how easy it is to make up this product into small bottles that can be carried with you at all times in your pocket or in your bag. This will be necessary if you have to catch a bus or a train or if you have to touch any surfaces out and about. Your workplace may provide sanitiser, but just think about how many surfaces you touch every day – traffic light buttons, lift buttons, railings, the backs of seats on buses etc. You really need your own.
Of course washing hands with soap and water is preferred but soap is not always available. So make your own foaming soap and take it with you. We had to use ours the other day when we went for a picnic. You may also like to carry some paper towel so you can dry your hands and avoid those horrible blowers in public toilets. I really hate to think about what they are spreading around!!!!
Tip # 2 Clean surfaces wherever you go
As I mentioned earlier in this post we made 70% alcohol spray to help sanitise surfaces. This is something that is easy to do and will come in handy if you have to go shopping, or when you have to leave you home and enter into some kind of transaction with others e.g. touch a door handle, touch a seat on the train, or pick up a parcel from the post office. You will at some point touch your car door or front door or even your handbag. By carrying your own wipes with you it is easy to wipe down these surfaces to make them safe. We made our own wipes by soaking make up remover pads in 70% alcohol. We keep them in a jar at home and take a few out with us either in a small jar or small plastic bag.
We also have a small spray bottle filled with 70% alcohol to spray on surfaces such as a table or a coffee cup handle if needs be.
You might be wondering why 70% alcohol and not 100%? From a microbiological perspective 70% alcohol is more effective than 100%.
We still wipe down all the shopping items that come into our home each week with either the 70% alcohol or with hot sudsy water. Anything that can’t be wiped is set aside for a few days before using it. Although this might sound a bit extreme, it gives us peace of mind!
And on a final note – are you welcoming people into your home? Remember to wipe down the surfaces that they have touched too. We have had very few people in our home for months but wiped down light switches, fridge handles, table and chair surfaces, bathroom surfaces, front door bell etc. on a regular basis while they were around our house.
Tip # 3 Wear a Cloth Mask
I think this tip is one of the most important ones. We are being told to physically distance ourselves from others. Have you tried doing that in a supermarket or on a busy street? Here in Australia where the case numbers of COVID-19 have until recently been quite low, there is a level of complacency and physical distancing is not evident in many settings.
So you can either get angry that people are not keeping their distance or you can wear a mask and promote mask wearing whenever you can!
If you wear a mask and I wear a mask, we protect each other.
The scientific research on the benefits of mask wearing in the community has strengthened over the past few months, and if you are not sure about this I would recommend reading the articles on the following website: Masks for Aussies.
Final Words
These tips might just seem like common sense to you but you know what they say about common sense don’t you? Yes that’s right, there isn’t much of it around. Public health officials in Australia have been clear about distancing and hand washing but not really clear on the reasons why. Sadly, they have been slow to embrace the benefits of mask wearing and the dangers of virus spread via aerosols. They are now recommending mask wearing in areas where the numbers of cases are starting to climb. But we as community members can take responsibility for our own safety and the safety of others and be proactive i.e. wear a mask before things get out of hand. Will you join me in doing that and being a good citizen?
Think about organising a ‘going out’ kit like the one we have assembled. See below.
Stay safe!
What Next?
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Until next time,
Gillian (and Andrew)
