(A Big Change in Life Habits)
Just a few weeks ago we were all going about our normal lives, performing our everyday activities, when, all of a sudden, we were told to stop doing what we were doing and to make extraordinary changes in our life habits. The sources for these dramatic recommendations were the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and every private and public health organization in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Heads of governments in Africa, Asia, Antarctica, Oceania, Europe, North America and South America have been exhorting their respective populations to heed, without delay, the recommendations of medical experts in the field of virology. In a word, they want the entire planet on the same page regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.
Simply put, these recommendations are to maintain a prudent distance from one another in order to minimize the risk of contaminating others or being contaminated by others. Our habits when greeting friends or relatives with a hand shake, hug or kiss will have to be suspended for now and replaced with elbow bumps or some other form of salutation such as the Hindu namaste, which does not require physical contact and means “hello.”
The importance of reducing human contact to a minimum is demonstrated by the fact that major events in sports, entertainment, religion, politics and conventions of all types, etc. have been cancelled or postponed. The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo next July risks postponement or cancellation. Schools at every level, almost world-wide, have been closed for at least one month and some will close for the balance of the school year. Home schooling is now in effect. Public spaces such as restaurants, bars and breweries are closing their doors or limiting their seating to 50 percent of capacity. Major employers have asked their workers whenever possible to perform their duties from home.
The stock market has taken a plunge into depths not seen in a generation; entire economies have been devastated; the revenue lost is in the trillions of dollars. And still the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 around the world continues to increase.
Until such time as an efficient testing mechanism is in place for all symptomatic individuals and until a vaccination is developed to prevent contracting the disease, it is incumbent upon every person to heed the recommendations of medical experts. These actions include staying home as much as possible, maintaining a reasonable arm’s-length distance from others and repetitive hand washing with soap and water or hand sanitizer, especially by young children. Additional advice is not touching your face, especially mouth, eyes or nose and sneezing or coughing into your sleeve or other available cloth.
Following these simple basic habits can mean the difference between contracting Covid-19 and keeping yourself and your family healthy.
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