Yes, that is a timely reminder, RI. Our country had a record breaking 504 new cases yesterday. I still follow this like it's my job. Because I believe it is.Res Ipsa wrote: ↑Tue Nov 10, 2020 5:39 pmOne thing I want to add: don't just hold on. Redouble your efforts to stay health and keep those with whom you come in contact healthy. I'll do a state of the COVID post tonight. But the TL/DR is that we are right now in worse shape than at any time during the pandemic. When the cases were concentrated in the metropolitan areas of New York and New Jersey, they were visible and obvious. Because the effects are spread out over mostly rural areas of the country, it's hard to see them. But we're in the worst exponential spread of the virus we've experienced to date.
If you trust infection disease experts, increase your vigilance. Wash your hands regular and thoroughly. Limit trips outside your home. Do not attend indoor gatherings. If you are going to be in contact with anyone outside of your home, wear a face covering. If you have to cough or sneeze, do it into the crook of your arm. If you feel sick, stay home and isolate yourself from the others in your household. Try not to touch your face. All that stuff.
We can see some light at the end of the tunnel. What a tragic waste to get hit by a train.
With regard to indoor gatherings. We had a discussion here Sunday with a small faction of the tribe. Everyone seems willing to separate for the holidays (for the good of the whole) except for one lone dissenter who is fixated on the upcoming holiday but isn't following anything and only learns the stats when I mention them---which is what I've been doing every single day for the past 2 weeks.
Anyone can check into a Covid Tracker. There are several out there. The refusal to do so amounts to neglect in my mind. But that's not on me. I've been doing what I believe is my due diligence regarding the virus this whole entire time. My bases are as covered as they possibly can be. After that it's in God's or fate's hands.
I trust that new information will arise (I have some thoughts about what that might be--gigantic spike in cases, stay-the-hell-home orders, or possibly a school related quarantine) and the matter will be settled without our saying another single word about it.
I suppose we could still manage a modified gathering of some sort, but I am ready to go it alone which is what I would be doing. I dislike Thanksgiving to start with but I do have all the fixin's and a Barbie turkey in the freezer so there it is. I am happy to dig in my own heels to reap what I think will be the blessings and rewards later on in this pandemic as vaccines with good efficacy and safety profiles begin to emerge.
I want to add something to this that I mentioned in another post on this or the old board.
Wash your hands regular and thoroughly. Limit trips outside your home. Do not attend indoor gatherings. If you are going to be in contact with anyone outside of your home, wear a face covering. If you have to cough or sneeze, do it into the crook of your arm. If you feel sick, stay home and isolate yourself from the others in your household. Try not to touch your face. All that stuff.
Use your coat, sweater, or shirt sleeves to cover your hands when you open doors. Just flop that sleeve out over your hand and use it as if it were a glove. I do it automatically having done that for decades in classrooms. Anyone would be hard pressed to find an instance of Miss Jersey actually touching a classroom interior or exterior door handle. I don't do it. Same thing with store doors.
And don't be shy about using latex, vinyl or even woolen gloves for the same thing when you go out. Just remember that gloves are only a barrier and should be treated as the mask--single use and throw away, throw them on the floor of your car and leave them there for a day or so, or you can just wash them as needed depending on what type you used. The outside of gloves are where the covey critters are. Learn to remove gloves properly (even your woolen gloves) so that your bare hand never touches the outside surface of the glove and the glove is left turned inside out. I am sure there are youtube videos that demonstrate this practice.
In early childhood...we remove latex/vinyl gloves the same exact way and can even manage to stash and cover a soiled disposable diaper inside the discarded gloves--without anything ever touching our bare hands. But still...we wash our hands afterwards as an extra precaution.
Scrub those covey critters off your hands like your life depends on it. And don't forget to keep those door knobs, latches, knobs, and even the toilet lever covey free! Get those darn things off there!
Covey is not your friend boys and girls. Don't play with it!