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graeme

Many best practices can be done in that context:

1. Wash your hands frequently

2. Especially wash your hands before eating

3. Practice not touching your face. In particular eyes, mouth, nose

4. Keep distance from people. Aim for 1.5 feet. Double that if person coughing or sneezing

5. Don’t shake hands

6. Avoid large gatherings

7. If sick, take sick days

8. Watch out for objects many touch but which are infrequently cleaned. Doorknobs, pens, elevator buttons, etc. Using your elbow or sleeve is better than your hand. Once community spread starts, wear gloves.

More here. If everyone did the above the R0 would drop.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/01/25/wuhan-coronavirus-safet...

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One problem I suspect we'll see is that the sick people most exposed to others won't take sick days, because they don't get paid sick leave.

There are a lot of hourly workers in the service economy that don't get sick time, and they still need to pay their bills. I'm not personally worried about the people in my office since I can avoid close contact. I'm worried about the people stocking shelves at grocery stores and pharmacies, working checkout counters and the like.

It’s a real concern. But keeping your distance, washing your hands, and not touching your face will nonetheless greatly reduce risk.

Maintaining a decent (though not extreme) amount of supplies at home will also help you avoid shopping at time of greatest spread.

I say “not extreme” as hoarding can cause problems on its own. Basically just forward your own purchases a couple weeks.

These same people also are less likely to have health insurance. The US is particularly vulnerable to something like this.

great list

I'd edit the 1.5 feet to 1.5 meters

I'm also going to start refusing to handle objects handled by multiple people, such as the signature stylus in credit card checkout terminals.

door handles are also a problem

mandatory retrofit of every public door with automatic opener or at least push bar (use elbow or hip) would also help. There's a thousand things society could do (have done) to systemically reduce R0 of most everything contagious...

I originally had it at 1.5 meters, then reread the article and saw the author listed 1.5 feet.

Personally I’d staying about a meter away from people at least. Can anyone comment of 1.5 feet is fine though? I’m assuming the author knows more than me.

IDK how it translates to contraction, but from a quick Google search coughing travels 6m, sneezing travels 8m, and the droplets stay suspended for 10min.

One of my main concerns is food prepared or handled by people who might be sick.

I can wash my hands and certain food, but other food that I eat (like a sandwich, bread, all sorts of prepared food) can't be washed by me before I eat it.

If someone sick coughed on their hands and then made that food for me, I'm screwed.

Am unsure how much food can spread covid. But, one way to prepare is to take stock of your eating, and minimize prepared food.

Eg pack sandwiches in a lunchbox rather than buy one.

You perhaps can’t eliminate it all. But this is a risk reduction game, rather than a perfection game. Taking low impact precautions goes a long way.

> 4. Keep distance from people. Aim for 1.5 feet. Double that if person coughing or sneezing

If someone is coughing or sneezing I'm going to shoot for much farther that three feet.

What gloves would you recommend, that are effective but "blend in"?

When it gets to that point I think people will just use medical gloves.

Non-disposable gloves aren’t great. They’ll soon become an infection vector.

I wouldn’t worry about gloves until outbreaks happen.

Protection that looks silly is protection you will wait too long to start using, that's my philosophy anyway.

Fair enough. Anyway, disposable medical gloves are the ones you want. The article I linked has some guidelines on their use.

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