If there’s anything I’ve learned in the last four weeks, since the outbreak of Covid-19 (Coronavirus), it’s that I never gave enough thought to the transfer of germs in everyday life.
Of course, I was aware of the spread of germs from people coughing and sneezing. Always ensuring hands are washed before cooking and after going to the bathroom. Risks of bacteria transfer when catching public transport. And the cursory wipe we gave our hands before eating at a cafe or restaurant.
With the risk of being infected with Covid-19 continually playing on my mind, I have become hyper-aware of germs making their way on to us, every minute of the day.
It’s not known how long the virus can remain active on surfaces, but some reports have said up to 36 hours. Therefore, any items brought into the home from outside could effectively be transmitting the virus to our safe zone. We have taken this to include shopping bags, postal deliveries, food deliveries, clothing or shoes.
After moving to China, we adopted the shoe-free house rule. Shoes we wore outside were kept in the shoe cabinet just inside the front door. Now any footwear worn outside the apartment is considered infected and must remain outside the door.
Our entryway cabinet now looks like a shrine to the God of Protection. Surgical masks, hand sanitisers, disinfecting sprays, wipes, and tissues are piled high. Ensuring we are fully protected when leaving the house, and thoroughly sanitised when we return, has become a serious business.
Gone are the days of grabbing our bag and phone and racing out the door!
I’ve heard people say wearing a face mask is not effective in stopping a person from catching the virus. I tend to disagree and believe it’s safer to err on the side of caution, with so many questions about this virus remaining unanswered.
We subconsciously touch our face up to a hundred times each day, so wearing a mask is also useful in reducing any hand to face contamination. But which protective face mask should we wear? I especially love this infographic to explain the correct protection to wear during the epidemic.
Before all this, it was almost impossible to imagine how a germaphobic felt. Now we are living it. Realising how often we come into contact with items others have touched. Retracing every step in our mind, trying to remember what we came into contact with along the way.
Many residential buildings have thought of ways to reduce the spread of germs between residents. With the most commonly used area of a building being the lift, some have stuck clear plastic over lift buttons, making it easier to wipe them down with disinfectant.
Our building installed tissues in the lift; others installed toothpicks. Another photo floating around social media shows planks of wood used to press the up and down buttons.
Anyone who has visited China, or a Chinatown anywhere in the world, will agree that personal space is a luxury not always afforded you in these areas. However, now we are noticing more and more people ensuring they keep their distance from one another. Whether this means not getting on the lift with other people or crossing the street to avoid someone walking along the footpath.
Metro Line 2 runs through the heart of Shanghai and is one of the busiest lines from 6 in the morning until 11.30 at night. The following photos, taken during the morning peak hour, show what it was like catching Line 2 before the outbreak and after.
On the lighter side, people all over China are adapting to this epidemic as best they can. These are some of the funnier ways people have taken to protect themselves. I applaud their ingenuity. Not a lot surprises me anymore after living in China for over three years. You may think these photos are all a joke, but I’m positive some of these, if not most, are probably legit.
What it all comes down to, the best way we can stay protected against infection from Covid-19 is to leave the apartment as little as possible. Limit our contact with other people. Wear a mask and take precautions when we go outside. Ensure any items coming into the apartment are sterilized properly. Wash our hands often. And hope this will all be over soon!
