It was Friday 20 March 2020. All sorts of information had already been made widely available concerning Covid 19.
An health emergency is declared on Tuesday 17 March.
The advice, and later requirements, are
- to wash your hands often during the day, especially before and after touching surfaces,
- to keep social distance (at least 2 metres or 6 feet away from others)
- avoid gatherings of people (over 50 people gatherings are banned)
For the latest information on restrictions (now 15 people on 29Mar, and lots more as the attempt is made to limit the fast spread which will overwhelm available services) see: https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx
There is much more: to repeat what many have posted already:
A study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests the virus can live
- up to four hours on copper,
- up to a day on cardboard,
- up to three days on plastic and stainless steel, and
- up to three hours in the air.
The times vary according to environmental conditions, of course. Meaning these could be much longer under ideal conditions (for the virus – very un-ideal for us!)
NOTE! Freezing temperatures ‘put the virus in stasis’, meaning freezing does not kill it all, but preserves much of it! Meaning the above times are put on hold in freezing temperatures.
An earlier study of SARS Cov (the outbreak of 2002-3) determined that the survival time for this related virus under optimal dry surface, air conditioned temperatures, could be as long as 2 weeks, or 3 weeks in a liquid environment at room temperature. The greatest transmission ‘assistants’ could be foamites (objects or materials which are likely to carry infection, such as clothes, utensils, and furniture.) https://www.hindawi.com/journals/av/2011/734690/
Still needed is information at what temperatures/humidity SARS CoV2 is killed.
Sometimes the light is so bright that it bounces all over and compromises the beauty of the most natural developments. Here the icicles of warm days and cold nights catch the evening sun that lays down shadows sweeping across the soft curves of blown snow.
The light’s reflections and distortions do not change the snow, the trees, the shadows, the icicles. It changes only our perceptions.
Reality is still reality.
I’m in Walmart to get the few groceries I need and can afford, wiping down items to disinfect them before putting them in my sanitized container, to take to the self check out; controlling what I can.
A father walks past me, whom I’ve greeted at a distance just minutes before, who says to me:
“It’s airborne. Wiping down things will not help.”
I responded sarcastically, “You’re so smart, but deadly wrong!”
Later I’m in the Dollar Tree picking up essentials, keeping my distance from the people in front of me, and I turn part way around and see the line up behind me, the nearest person is less than 2 feet away. Everybody behind that person is just as close, as if there were no warning to keep your distance from other people.
We have the ability to see the same things at different times, in different light, and appreciate the root of the beauty of the universe.
The light’s reflections and beauty do not change the snow, the trees, the icicles. There are no shadows. Still the real change is only our perceptions.
Reality is still reality.
What gives, with the deadly stupidity about town?
Someone standing that close to a person with a compromised immune system could be essentially killing the compromised person.
Do people not listen? Learn? Care?
Or are people so angry at being told to change their habits that they protest by not following the recommendations?
Or is it the disbelief of the masses that gets crazy people elected? That tolerates systemic abuse of identifiable groups of people? That brings intelligent people to jump on the band wagon of Gaslighting victims of abuse?
Stupid is just Stupid. Sometimes it is also Deadly.