Corona Care – Seven Ways to Help During the Corona Virus Outbreak

In the midst of this pandemic, I think it’s important to interrupt the regular scheduled programming of happy, fun entries with something addressing the seriousness of our current state of affairs.  Most of us are not virologists on the brink of creating the vaccine for the Corona Virus, but here are little ways that you can help yourself and others.  The obvious things are handwashing and disinfecting surfaces.  Then there are other ideas circulating the internet that deserve to be more viral than the virus itself.

1.  Restaurant Gift Cards.  People are avoiding dining out to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.  If you love a restaurant and want it to stay open, you can support it during this economic crisis by purchasing a gift certificate.  The business will have some cash inflow, and then you can spend it later when the pandemic is over.

2.  Don’t Hoard ALL the Hand Sanitizer!  You just need enough for yourself and your family.  Other people need hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes too – so that they don’t contract the virus and give it to you!  You wouldn’t hoard all the vaccines.  You just need one, and others need them too so disease doesn’t spread.  If everyone is protected, we can keep the Corona Virus under control.

3.  Hand Lotion.  With all the handwashing, hand sanitizing, and use of disinfectant wipes, your hands are going to be very dry.  As a compulsive handwasher, I have experience with using different hand creams, and I also notice when my hands are at their driest.  In a way, I have already prepared myself for this pandemic.  After using disinfectant wipes, it’s important to use cold water to wash off the chemicals.  If you use hot water, your hands will be aridly dry.

For lotions and creams, my favorites are:

·   Aveeno Moisturizing Lotion – (I like the Stress Relief one in purple, but the blue, scentless one is good for those with allergies.)

·   Elizabeth Arden’s 8 Hour hand cream

·   Neutrogena Hand Cream

·   Yube Moisturizing Skin Cream (I use this one before going to bed.)

·   O’Keeffe’s Working Hands hand cream. (For when my hands are extra dry.)

4.  Disinfect Things You Touch.  We don’t usually think about every single little thing that comes in contact with our fingertips.  If you have children, this is significantly more complicated.  Here’s a list of things to wipe down when you go into human-tornado-cleaning-mode. 

·         Office: the phone, mouse, computer keyboard, swivel chair armrests, keyboard armrest, the on button for your computer and monitor, cubicle drawer handles, stapler, hole puncher, and other stationary equipment.

·         Retail: your cash register, counters, signing pads/stylus, pens; keep hand sanitizer at your register and use it after every transaction.

·         Personal items: your cellphone, house keys, the clip to open your purse, iPod, iPad, etc. 

·         Kitchen: Cabinet knobs, refrigerator handles, countertops, faucets, oven dials, microwave buttons, and that lever underneath to open the dishwasher. 

·         Other home items: doorknobs, especially the ones outside your house, door bells, door knockers, light switches, remote controls, video game controllers, the alarm clock snooze button, etc.

5.  Give Cleaning Tips.  If you have any cleaning ideas, speak up and tell people, your employer, and local businesses.  You would be helping prevent the spread of disease.  Even if it’s something little, like telling the janitor at work to disinfect the slide-locks on the bathroom stalls, you are still helping out.  Even if your idea isn’t that great or not implemented, at least you tried.  You can also post your cleaning tips on social media to spread the word – not the virus.

6.  Hermitage Hobbies.  If you’re an extrovert, self-isolation can be a hellish exodus.  Surfing the internet seems like the obvious option, but you can get creative.  Here is a list of fun activities to do while holing up in your house, apartment, or your underground pandemic shelter.

·         Read – books, magazines, articles, etc.

·         Watch movies and TV.

·         Play a board game with family or friends.  (Disinfect the game pieces)

·         Write short stories and/or poetry.  (Microsoft Word is your oyster!)

·         Draw – You don’t have to be Da Vinci or a Walt Disney animator.  Anything you draw is your way of drawing.

·         Meditate – You don’t need to be a Yoga instructor to meditate.  Close your eyes, listen to the sounds around you, let your mind fall into silence or let your mind drift happily to random thoughts.

·         Listen to music – sing, dance – as long as your apartment neighbors aren’t bothered.

·         Exercise – Do crunches and pushups.  Get out the exercise DVD.  You could do Yoga, but make sure you’re doing it safely and correctly.

·         Theater – If you have kids, have them act out a play or do a dance routine.  It’s free entertainment; no need for Ticketmaster.

·         Ghost stories – At night, gather the family, your friends, or roommates in a circle with a flashlight, and tell scary stories.  You could even have s’mores.

7.  Thank the Helpers.  Let the janitors know how vital their jobs are in this pandemic.  They kill millions of germs and prevent the spread of disease, and that is their everyday act of heroism that goes unnoticed regularly.  They are helping us survive.  Who else helps with our survival – the people who provide the food and cleaning gear!  When you’re at the grocery store, be extra polite to the employees.  They are hard at work, stocking, helping customers, and managing the chaos.  They deserve respect.  The last and most commonly respected link in the survival chain is the people in the medical field.  Doctors and nurses are the goalies keeping death from scoring.