Coronavirus and Conference Cancellations

Hello my friends, how are you doing this first week of Daylight Saving Time and with the rampant spread of the Coronavirus or COVID19? Delaware reported it’s first case yesterday, a professor at the University of Delaware so it is hitting closer to home.

Coronavirus and Conference Cancellations

The Cornavirus COVID19 has caused conference cancellations, travel bans and restrictions and it has even affected the NBA and March Madness games as well as other sporting events.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to cancel my Podcasting Your Purpose Workshop as it was an intimate group of 7 attendees – which by the way was awesome so come back to the blog on Monday to read the highlights and to see more pictures.

In the meantime, please read and heed the warnings about this virus and take all the necessary precautions to keep you, your family and loved ones safe and healthy! Changes are being made each day, but here is a list of what you should be aware of until this is no longer a pandemic.

DO’s

Do stay informed of the situation as events and advisories are rapidly evolving. Credible resources include the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

Do practice good hand hygiene and wash your hands frequently, especially before you eat, after you use the restroom, blow your nose or cough or before you touch your face.  Good hand hygiene includes washing your hands for more than 20 seconds (sing “Happy Birthday” twice), including in between your fingers and under your nails and using plenty of soap and warm water. If you can’t wash your hands, use an alcohol-based sanitizer with more than 60% alcohol.

Do cover your cough or sneeze. The best way to cough or sneeze is into your elbow and not your hands.

Do stay home from work if you are sick. If you do stay home, don’t run errands or go to public places like the grocery store or the gym. Protect your family members from close contact (stay more than 6 feet away). Don’t share water or utensils with family members.

Do move away from others who cough or sneeze.

Do wipe down all surfaces you come into contact with. Any regular bleach-containing household products is likely to be effective.

Do begin buying a 60-90 day supply of supplies and drugs. The purpose of doing this is not because we are going to “run out” of things, but because we want to avoid going to a crowded public place.

Do buy a 2-week supply of food and household products in case we are in a situation where social isolation or quarantine is necessary.

Do call ahead to the doctor/emergency room before you head there if you think you may have symptoms concerning for COVID-19.  You should also wear a facemask to protect others.

Do wear a face mask if you are caring for a family someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Do be mindful of what you surfaces you are touching and how frequently you are touching your face.

DON’Ts

Don’t panic! Now that the virus is in Colorado, most of us (81%) who get it will get a mild case or mild respiratory illness, just like the flu. We don’t panic when it’s flu season every year, do we? We have faced “pandemics” of flu and other illnesses before and this is no different. So, don’t let the unknown of the coronavirus scare you so much. 

Don’t travel within the United States if it’s not essential. This is especially true if you are elderly (>65 years), have chronic medical problems like diabetes, heart disease, asthma, COPD or are immunocompromised. There are high-level travel advisories in place to avoid non-essential travel to China and South Korea and other parts of Asia. Before booking travel, check out the latest information from the CDC on what the current status of travel advisories are based on the behavior of the virus.

Don’t touch your eyes, nose, mouth or face without washing your hands.

Don’t run out and buy a facemask. Although facemasks can prevent the transmission of large droplets, they still allow the smaller droplets to get through so they are not as effective as N95 respirators (used by healthcare workers and need fitting). Some experts say that facemasks can actually increase risk by giving a false sense of security and may actually increase the amount someone touches their face.

Don’t put your shoes on surfaces you may touch. We know that the coronavirus can sustain itself on surfaces, but don’t yet know how long. Since we don’t typically sanitize the bottom of our shoes, we should try to avoid contact of shoes with jackets, scarves, purses, pens or other surfaces we commonly touch.

Don’t interact with your pets if you think you may have symptoms concering for COVID-19.

Don’t go to crowded public places, especially if you are high risk for complications from COVID-19.

Don’t share utensils or drinking glasses with others.

So if you are indoors this weekend due to the cancellation of a conference or concert, kick back, relax, grab a glass of your favorite beverage and check out a few blog posts from this week’s Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party.

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LINKY PARTY #225

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  Natasha chose 7 Painful Reasons Being a Working Mom is Hard from Live. Love. Jillian. “I loved this post! It is exactly how I feel, what goes through my mind, and what I face as a working mom. And one point resonated with me: ‘In no way is being a working mom better than being a stay-at-home mom – or vice versa.’ At the end of the day, we are all moms – no one is better than the other! Thank you for this great post!”     Evelyn chose Pink Champagne Cake and the year was… from Spatulas On Parade. “I found this very interesting as I was also born that year.”     The post with the most views was Friday the 13th-Superstition or Phobia? from Grammy’s Grid.   Thank you featured bloggers for sharing! Your posts will be pinned (slowly but surely) to the Traffic Jam Weekend Linky Party Pinterest board. Please grab a special Traffic Jam Weekend featured button below to display on your blog.