An epidemic is among us. Along with the Coronavirus, fears are spreading. The mass media has taken this pandemic and stretched it beyond the very fibers of existence, catapulting our everyday lives into utter chaos.
And as the first reported case of the virus popped up in New York last week, and has now spread to over 22 cases and 2,773 individuals under quarantine, the virus has been, without a doubt, casting an enormous shadow onto New York City, shadows larger than those casted upon Central Park by the rising Billionaire’s Row towers.
Subway cars are filled with digital advertisements addressing public sanitation, how to keep yourself clean and avoid spreading germs — the usual “wash your hands, cover your mouth when coughing, and if you’re feeling sick, stay home” messages we’re all familiar with. Maybe carrying a bottle of hand sanitizer around with you will solve the problem, you think. So you wander to your local Walgreens and, convinced that this small bottle of sticky liquid claiming to kill “99.9%” of germs will cure you of your anxiety, graciously wander to the self-maintenance aisle.
But what’s this? The entire section of the aisle is empty. All that remains of the hand sanitizer is a void of despair on the shelf. They’re all sold out.
So you head to the first aid aisle, looking to buy some masks or alcohol instead. They’re sold out of that as well. You can ask a customer sales associate or manager if they have any more of these products in the stock room, or you could play stupid and claim the website said they were in stock. But the hard truth is, they’ve been sold out for weeks, and will continue to be sold out until the Coronavirus panic fades away into nonexistence. Try driving to the next drug store, and they’ll be sold out, too.
And continue the chain shall.
Drug stores around the city no longer contain the in-demand items of rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, and surgical masks. If the news is telling you to stock up on these items, but you can’t find anymore, you’re not “out of luck”. Fears of the Coronavirus pandemic are spreading more rapidly than the virus itself.
So what can you do to prepare? The world is claiming that the only thing to do to stay safe from the Coronavirus is to stock up on hand sanitizer, and to use it often. This is the reason why no stores have it in stock, and most likely will not have it in stock for weeks to come. But this is not how you can protect yourself.
Of course, washing your hands is the key. If your access to hand sanitizer is denied, use alternatives such as baby wipes and Wet Ones, which are proven to work faster and be more efficient than hand sanitizer. If not, wash your hands in the bathroom — if it’s a public bathroom, be sure to not touch the faucet handles with your hands or sleeves, but rather use a paper towel.
Keep your hands away from your face at all times; this includes your mouth, eyes, ears and nose. Most know that touching your mouth with dirty hands can get you sick, but they often fail to recognize that touching your eyes, nose or ears (yes, ears) can also get you sick. Germs from your hands will stick to any part of your face you touch, and can travel to sensitive areas (such as your mouth) via wind or other foreign elements. These body parts are also orifices, which expose the body to the external environment and offer foreign elements, such as viruses, a way inside. Thus, the best possible solution is to refrain from touching your face at all times, even if you believe your hands are clean.
Might want to think twice about eating that candy bar on the subway.
Finally, a good measure to take is to avoid breathing in crowded spaces. This may sound impossible, especially in a bustling city, but it can be done. Now, I’m not making the claim that you must hold your breath throughout your entire commute; however, you can limit the amount in which you breathe in through your mouth.
While breathing in through your nose will not completely protect you from germs of viruses, it will greatly limit the amount of air particles taken in to your body, as hair inside your nose serves as a natural protector and shan’t allow everything in. In comparison, your mouth contains no protective hair (if it did, that’d be kinda gross) and thus will allow more air particles in, possibly even viruses. Breathing through your nose won’t block a virus from entering, but it will greatly reduce the chances of it.
If someone around you is coughing, sneezing or showing viral symptoms of any kind, move away from them immediately. There’s always that individual on the train who coughs in their hands or into the environment around them, without covering their mouth, and then proceeds to touch the poles, spreading germs. Be smart and avoid these individuals by moving away from them when they exhibit these signs, and refrain from touching surfaces that others have touched. As I’m a native New Yorker, my mind immediately refers to the subway poles in instances like this, but any surface is ripe for carrying germs and should be avoided if possible.
The Coronavirus will pass. Viral infections that have become worldwide pandemic are not unheard of in our world — the 1918 Influenza pandemic and the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic are two notable examples. These pandemics can, in fact be scary, mostly due to the fact that cures for them do not exist until further in time.
There is currently no Coronavirus cure. And if that doesn’t spark some fear in you, then there might be something wrong. This is absolutely a time to be protective and on high alert, but it is not a time to panic. Failing to find hand sanitizer in your local drug store is not a reason to fear. By following the methods discussed, and generally practicing good hygiene, you will keep yourself and your community safe, and that may very well be the key to beating this insatiable epidemic.
Chris is a writer and publisher who travels America, and loves doing it. He also loves pizza, video games, and sports, and can tell you a thing or two about each. Follow him on Medium to be informed of new articles.
