This is a cumbersome time for the world and it seems Americans are getting hit the hardest. This could be in part due to the nonchalant American way of life and/or the lack of experience dealing with global crisis’ on US soil. There was once a time when America was safe from international threats of terrorism, violent agendas and viral warfare no matter the underlying reasoning or possible gain from various organizations. These types of situations have historically only been viewed on TV and experienced from a distance. Unfortunately, that time has come to an end . This outbreak of contagion, signifies another 1st for Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millenials all the way up to Gen Alpha and we must take action.
We are faced with a savage and extremely aggressive pandemic. A flu virus that attaches to the body at the cellular level and proliferates quickly by breaching the cell wall and hijacking the now bad cell turning it into millions of copies of the virus that attack the lungs and respiratory system. This vicious virus is called COVID-19 and it’s killing thousands of people globally, including Americans at a stifling rate. There are many theories on how and why, but that is not what I’m here to speak about today.
My main concern is the behavior of the American people that I have personally witnessed and the lack or slowness of understanding the possible devastation involved with the spread of this patented virus. Now, I understand that statistically it’s not killing as many people as the flu does yearly if you look at it from a ratio of cases to deaths, but I do know it’s a lot more contagious however it’s being spread.
Based on our knowledge, an infected person has to sneeze, cough, breath on or touch a surface with the aerosole remnant of this SARS Coronavirus. Then another person has to touch the exact same spot and then touch an open membrane of their body by wiping their eyes, rubbing their nose, or somehow eating with fingers or putting fingers in their mouth before washing their hands for 20 seconds with soap or by using a 70% or more alcohol sanitizer of some sort. Sounds and seems like a lot of transactions for the virus to be spreading so 5G fast to so many people. Hmmmm, but let’s just say that is the case and it’s not airborne or transmitted some other kind of mysterious way, there are precautions that need to be taken as we live our daily lives.
Here are a few things I have seen and think some attention needs to be brought to. I watched a Starbucks line of 50 people order, pay and receive their goods from a Starbucks drive thru where the worker had on gloves but took everybody’s money, put it in the cash register and then grabbed drinks and handed them to the patrons in cars who mostly didn’t have gloves on. This seems like transmission all day. From money to drinks to patrons in cars and who knows where after that especially with multiple drink orders. How clean are those gloves and how often are the workers that don’t wear gloves washing their hands between transactions? I’m not singling out Starbucks or coffee shops. I have seen this at numerous drive thrus.
My other concern is food preparation as a whole. Hardly any of the food preparers are using masks which puts communities in danger if they happen to be sick or asymptomatic and get any aerosols on any surface or food packaging material and then hand it to the customer. I think masks in food prep should be required in this pivotal time. I spoke to the owners at Fry Dayz Fish & Wings @frydayzlasvegas, a southern fried catfish & goodies restaurant graciously serving the #vegasstronger Las Vegas community through Delivery and Take Out Services Only until the crisis is over. They stated, “Masks and gloves are mandatory and we sanitize all cash, so even the change we give is clean. We have to be extra careful during this time.”
Not to beat a dead horse, but I thought it was imperative to touch on the dangers being faced from grocery store, Walmart, gas stations and other deemed essential businesses’ workers, cashiers and other positions that are in constant contact with large numbers of patrons. I don’t see them wearing gloves or masks and they are collecting money and giving change and are not practicing social distancing because the counter is not 3 feet wide and the exchange of cash already infringes on the 6 foot distance rule for outside let alone inside where aerosols are trapped in the air and could be constantly dropping on surfaces, being inhaled and/or changing hands.
My last observation was the amount of people that open doors at stores or restaurants or anywhere doors are not automatic without wearing gloves. I saw approximately one hundred people touch the same spot on the door handle going in a smoke shop as I parked far from any other car and took in some much needed Vitamin D through my panoramic roof. I’m just saying my lovely visionaries, we have to take this serious to flatten the curve, stop the spread and end this pandemic so we can get back to regular daily life.
Sanitize, wash your hands, and wear N95 masks if you are in close proximity all day with possible contaminants. Do not grab on door handles without gloves and if you are wearing gloves outside, please take them off before you touch your keys, steering wheel, shift knob or anywhere in your safe/clean zone. I personally sanitize the inside of my car multiple times in case of a slip up using Clorox wipes and aloe based hand sanitizer. I always take my gloves off before entering my safe zone. Also, use alcohol wipes, or clorox wipes or other anti-viral disinfectants to clean your cell phone. This is a main culprit. If you use your cell phone with those gloves on, It is no longer safe to put up to your face. You must clean your phone and wash your hands/sanitize as you transition from gloves to bare hands to face or any cell phone use.
These are a just a few lifestyle and safety changes I noticed that need to be addressed when dealing with the hyper infectious virus that is causing the world to shut down. Please take heed and add your own safety precautions along the way. You can even write me and let me know some of your rituals the world should follow. We have to stop COVID-19. We have to acknowledge its severity and we have to be smart.
tay tuned for Visionary Lifestyle health tips on how to keep your immune system at optimal levels during this pandemic.