Wash your hands, wear a mask

Just because we finally have an adult ready to lead the country doesn’t mean we can relax.

There’s still a pandemic going on. It is still “these unprecedented times.”

<waits while you take a shot>

We know a lot more now about how you can catch coronavirus than we did seven months ago. Remember back in April – I know it’s hard since it’s about 15,000 years ago in PandemicTime^TM – when we were all frantically wiping down our groceries?

Remember that doctor from Michigan who thought it would be a great idea to tell us to wash our vegetables with soap and water? (Hint: Do not do this unless you want massive digestive upset). Remember when he thought it would lend him credibility to do his first “how to sanitize your groceries” video wearing hospital scrubs and everyone freaked the fuck out because they judged clothing that had been in a hospital where patients with active, severe COVID-19 infections were being treated to be more dangerous than a can of soup or a bunch of oranges from the average Mejier?

As reported in USA Today, the U.S. CDC says “because of the poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely a very low risk of spread from food products or packaging.”

That doesn’t mean there aren’t still things you need to do to protect yourself, the people you live with, and the people you are in contact with every day.

Stay 6ft away

6 feet or 2 meters. Doesn’t matter how you measure. And always a challenge in a society where men think one inch equals a mile.

Multiple sources state that the average woman in the U.S. is between 5’3″ and 5’4″ (about 161 CM) tall as of 2016. I’m about 5’9″ (175.25 CM) tall.

If I could lay down with my feet where I am standing and stretch my arms above my head and touch the person in front of me in line I am too fucking close.

Yeah, I know that’s over 6 feet but that recommended distance is the minimum.

Wash your hands

The CDC recommends regular hand washing to help you from spreading or getting SARS-COV2. They say especially after you have:

• coughed, sneezed or blown your nose
• been in a public place (Seriously, people. Did you leave your house? The first thing you should do when you come in is wash your damn hands.)
• handling your mask
• using the rest room (Honestly, how sad is it that this needs to be said?)
• changing a diaper (IBID)
• caring for someone sick
• touching animals or pets

Or before you:

• eat (Were you raised in a barn?)
• prepare food (Oh, FFS people! Really?)
• touch your face

The US CDC’s guidelines for hand washing kinda suck in my opinion. They hit the basics, sure, but the instructions aren’t clear at all. I much prefer the ones from the World Health Organization (WHO), which come with some good visuals.

And if you’re tired of “Happy Birthday,” you can use Wash Your Lyrics to generate your own poster with lyrics instead of the written instructions.

Wear a mask

I wear a mask to protect you. You wear a mask to protect me. It’s the simplest expression of the social contract.

Lots of things that we though would make good masks back in April – bandanas, old t-shirts, a discarded pair of tighty-whiteys – don’t really cut it.

Two layers of high thread count cotton are probably the most effective thing you can make a mask out of at home. And as much as I heart Spoonflower, custom printed fabric can be hella expensive if you need to make a bunch of masks in a hurry.

If you feel like you need to buy masks be prepared for masks with earloops as this is the most common design commercially available. And if you do need to buy commercially, try buying from a Black-owned business. Etsy has a wealth of Black-owned shops making masks.

If you aren’t happy with ear loops or just want to make your own masks you can do what I did: Buy high thread count cotton sheets on sale. “Black Friday” is coming up and I strongly recommend The Company Store cotton percale flat sheets as a good source for this. These are 300 thread count.

If you want something more interesting than a plain color for your outer shell, you can look for patterned sheets on their site or you can mix and match with fabrics from other places.

The pattern I like is the Olson mask (pdf). You can choose to do ear loops or, like me, you can use a single, 36 inch shoe lace for a tie.

I’d link you to an easy video for how to make these but for some unknown reason YouTube has determine the tutorial violates their terms of service.

Just please, please, keep doing these things. And if you haven’t been doing them, start. Our daily case count is going in the wrong direction.

It’s going to be a long, cold winter.