Some of us have to go to work at least some of the time during quarantine. This includes essential workers like law-enforcement, utilities workers, and medical workers. There are many others. Here are some suggestions for an appropriate mindset and some practical suggestions for you to do this the best way.
Mindset
You can call it quarantine, you can call it “shelter in place”, but it really means you should minimize your contact AND the contact of your family with others. You should really think of your household unit, whatever that may be, as the unit of quarantine. The standards for everyone in that unit need to be high and uniform. The infectivity of this virus is such that if one person deviates from protocol and becomes exposed it brings it to your whole closed system.
I realize this standard is daunting. On the other hand the measures that comprise the standard are simple, easy, and inexpensive. The mindset is what is difficult.
Should you be working ?
Talk to your doctor to determine whether or not you fall into a special high-risk or immunocompromised category. If between the combination of your particular work and your particular medical condition you are recommended to stay home, there may be sick leave benefits for which you may qualify. Your local job office will also have insight into this matter.
What if you have to work?
Let's say someone in the family has to go to a job and come back home. Hopefully, that employer has made arrangements for the employees to be utterly safe. If they have not, then the employees should report to their supervisor the issues with safety. Here are some recommendations, some more evidence-based than others, about what a working member of a household can do to minimize their risk.
1. Before you go to work, make sure that you have your personal protective equipment, what we in the medical field call PPE. Our PPE is very specific; yours will look more like a cleaning kit. Here are my suggestions of what to collect before you head to work during the quarantine:
One or two masks.
Two small bottles of hand sanitizer, one to keep on your person at work, another for the car
Box of Kleenex
Box of disinfecting spray for the car, along with a wiping rag
A box or basket to put it all in
2. At work, follow all protective recommendations and add additional ones if needed.
3. Before you get in your car to return home, throw away any disposable masks or gloves, or other clothing coverings. Wash your hands with soap and water after that. Remove your work/town shoes and put them in a "dirty box" in the back of your car. Put on your home shoes. Use hand sanitizer after that. I know, it seems redundant but it's not.
4. Drive home and resist the temptation to stop anywhere unless it is absolutely necessary. If your household cannot afford a grocery delivery service (which are not that expensive so at least look into it) it should have designated shopping person and by some arguments, it should be the same person who works out of the home.
5. Before you get out of your car take your rag and your sanitizing solution (which might be the dilute bleach solution which are detailed in the last blog posts) and wipe down the areas of your car which you have contacted.
6. Take off your home shoes at the door (since no one should wear shoes in the house anyway… Ask the Japanese or the person that vacuums your floor) and once in the house head straight to the laundry room and take off your work clothes and throw them, along with your cleaning rag in the wash for immediate washing with hot water and soap. Sorry it’s not a full load, but… desperate times. Wash your hands with soap and water after doing that. If you had thought ahead you would have left yourself a clean robe hanging in the laundry room. Otherwise dash to your room to get clean clothes to spend time with your family at home.
Thanks for reading and watching. More to come. Be safe!