Tag: wear a mask

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New Year! What’s The Plan

We’re well into the first month of the 2021 with COVID19 and the new strains of the virus, schools are shutting down due to positive cases, many places of businesses have closed, people are working from home, millions are unemployed, yet there has been a sense of hope for a turn around in 2021.

The COVID19 Vaccine offers an optimism from researchers, medical professionals as well as the general population at large. While Pfizer and Moderna are currently being administered to various members of the population, Moderna is working on a booster shot for the new South African strain of the virus. Not that we need this in our lives right now, but the new strain of the virus in the United Kingdom is reported to be even more deadly.

We all want to go back to living our lives the way we used to, but alas, here we are adjusting to this new way of life and quietly praying for things to get better real soon. It’s important that we adhere to the simple guidelines as suggested by the Center for Disease Control;

  • Wear a mask to protect yourself and others and stop the spread of COVID-19.
  • Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from others who don’t live with you.
  • Avoid crowds. The more people you are in contact with, the more likely you are to be exposed to COVID-19.

One thing for certain, 2021 can be the year we use the experience of the countless lives lost to the virus, to adhere to the guidelines. Let’s make every effort to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe by doing everything we can to prevent the virus as far away as possible.

So what’s the plan?

Prevent getting sick

Photo by Askar Abayev
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Falling for Fall

As we enter into the fourth quarter of the year, we can only look back with great wonderment of what we have experienced within the last 8 months of 2020. Last year this time, we were out and about with a sense of knowing how to best navigate through our day. Whether it is going in for a cancer screening, doctor’s appointment, therapy, work, shopping or just running some simple errands – those days are long gone. We are now living in the era of a pandemic that is taking the world by it’s throat.

The new protocols are set to help us mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. While there are some people who are resisting the guidelines set by the top healthcare professionals, there is a majority of people who understand the importance of taking a unified approach to not only protect themselves but to protect others.

Fall is here and the chill is in the air. It is the time where we stay indoors more often. Families are huddled at home keeping warm. Not to mention those who live with room mates where there is limited control on the comings and goings of each person, including whom they may bring into the space. There is also the homeless shelter mixed with families and others who are also sharing a space. Why are we considering these people? We are a part of society. We travel to and from work, use the public transportation, open and close doors, shop in the stores, ride in car services, among other things. The people who have the highest risk of dying from COVID-19 are those who have pre-existing conditions. If you have cancer or even as a cancer survivor, it is important to avoid being exposed to the virus.

It is very important to make every effort to adhere to the standards of keeping a distance from others, wearing a mask, washing your hands and avoid touching your face. When you return to your living space, wash your hands. When you bring your groceries in, wipe them down with a disinfectant, wipe down the handles of the appliances, the door knobs, the faucets, any handle that is frequently used should be disinfected – including the handles on the toilet as well. I know it all seems to be a bit much but as we are still learning more about the virus each day, we cannot afford to let our guards down. With her most nurturing efforts, my mother would say – an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. If only we could all take that approach, we may be able to get through this pandemic with less fatalities than we had in the height of the Spring and Summer season.