During this time of unprecedented uncertainty, many of us are feeling extremely anxious. Our health, our economy, our jobs and life as we knew it are all being threatened, and we don’t know when or how the threat will end.
While the situation may seem bleak, there are a few measures you can take to protect yourself and stay safe for the next few weeks or months. In this blog post, we’re going to review a few safety practices being recommended by health and safety experts.
Stay at Home
Unless absolutely necessary, as in the case of life-saving care, stay at home. The fewer people you come in contact with, the better your chances of avoiding or spreading infection.
Obviously, some people have to go to work because they provide essential services, but the rest of us can try to work from home. Those of us at Bailey Fisher, for example, are keeping up with all of our cases and responding to clients and prospective clients while working remotely.
Shop from Home
Shopping for food and household supplies is essential during this time of social distancing, but it is not essential to leave your home to do so. As a corollary to the advice to stay at home is the advice to shop from home.
In addition to Amazon and other online retailers, many brick and mortar stores now offer online shopping services. You can shop for and order just about everything you need from the comfort and safety of your own home and, for a reasonable price, have it delivered or pick it up at the store.
If you have items delivered, have the delivery person leave the packages outside. Do not open the door and take the packages from him or get within six feet of him. If you’re picking up items at a store, check to see if they will deliver your purchases to your vehicle so that you can avoid getting in close contact with anyone.
Sanitize Everything That Enters Your Home
While you’re protecting yourself and your family by staying at home and shopping from home, keep in mind that you need to protect your environment to keep it safe. Anything that enters your home is a potential threat in that it could be carrying the virus.
Researchers have found that SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 can actually live for up to three hours in the air, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to three days on plastic and stainless steel. Therefore, any items that enter your home – groceries, shopping bags, cleaning supplies, health and hygiene products, packages, mail, etc. – could have the virus on it, since other people, who were possibly infected, could have touched them.
The point is you need to remove the outer packaging, if possible, or sanitize each item liberally, and then sanitize the area where you placed the items originally. In addition, you need to remember to avoid touching your face during this process and wash your hands thoroughly when you’re done.
We’re Here to Help
We hope you and your family stay safe and healthy during this challenging time. Please know that if at any time you want to talk to a compassionate, experienced Florida personal injury or medical malpractice attorney about an injury you or a family member has suffered due to someone’s else’s negligence, we’re available to listen and provide advice. You can reach us at 407-628-2929 or by submitting the “Help Is Here” form on our website.
