Does self quarantining work?

Sunny

Sunny

SF VIP
Location
Maryland
I keep hearing about the necessity for self-quarantining or self-isolating, whatever you want to call it. I've been wondering how effective that is.

If I kept myself holed up in my apartment 24/7, never leaving the house, I would still be getting newspapers, mail, etc. delivered to my home. When food or medications ran out, I'd still have to go shopping, or have those things delivered to my door. Who knows how healthy the delivery person is, or what germs they might have on their clothing? Who knows what life forms exist on the newspapers or mail?

If we cancelled all those things, I still have a small air stream coming into my apartment from the hallway outside. It's a part of the air venting system of my building. And of course, any time I opened a window, tiny particles of who-knows-what would be blowing in.

So, unless we locked ourselves into a sterile chamber, wearing a hazmat suit, having no contact whatever with the outside world, it seems to me that these steps are useless. All they probably do is reduce the opportunities for infection, but they don't really make us safe from it. A vaccine is probably the only thing that would really work.
 

I believe the thinking is that the less exposure people have to one another, the less opportunity this virus has to spread.

Will (mostly) isolating ourselves guarantee we won't get sick? No. But it will help. Let's don't allow the demand for perfection to be the enemy of pretty good.
 

Unless you have crowds of people coming in and out of your house all day, you'll be fine. I noticed during the times when I wasn't working, going to school, or visiting someone in a hospital I did not pick up as much as a cold. When I was doing all those things, however, I caught everything that came along.
 
I have an item for my knee I will go to Walmart tomorrow to pick up at that automatic pick up vendor machine. I can arrive at 6AM when they open and only a handful of people are there or sleep in and arrive when there is a crowd there. Common sense and when in doubt, wash it. Walmart has initiated a policy for a representative to key in the code on the touch pad for the customers using the vendor machine. I will use a pencil. NOTE: Remember if you are required to sign for something at a store or office ask how many people have touched the pen you are holding?
 
I have been a homebody for a long time and haven't caught the flu or even a cold in probably 30 years. They say the coronavirus is more contagious than the flu, though.

I do think laying low to oneself does help a lot. I get deliveries and worry a bit about them, too. So, I wash my hands and spray my packages with Lysol. I'm hoping this will be somewhat effective.

I am expecting a few large packages this week and I'm going to put them on a chair and let them sit awhile in case of germs. Germs don't live outside the body for more than about 24 hours. I will spray the boxes, too.

I have to go out to CVS for prescriptions about once a month or so and when I went tonight I avoided the people in the store by going down empty aisles when I saw them coming my way.

I think just being careful will help.
 
Sunny said:
I keep hearing about the necessity for self-quarantining or self-isolating, whatever you want to call it. I've been wondering how effective that is.

If I kept myself holed up in my apartment 24/7, never leaving the house, I would still be getting newspapers, mail, etc. delivered to my home. When food or medications ran out, I'd still have to go shopping, or have those things delivered to my door. Who knows how healthy the delivery person is, or what germs they might have on their clothing? Who knows what life forms exist on the newspapers or mail?

If we cancelled all those things, I still have a small air stream coming into my apartment from the hallway outside. It's a part of the air venting system of my building. And of course, any time I opened a window, tiny particles of who-knows-what would be blowing in.

So, unless we locked ourselves into a sterile chamber, wearing a hazmat suit, having no contact whatever with the outside world, it seems to me that these steps are useless. All they probably do is reduce the opportunities for infection, but they don't really make us safe from it. A vaccine is probably the only thing that would really work.
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They're trying to reduce the spread by giving the virus less places to go. Less contact means more chances the virus has of dying out. It needs warm bodies and surfaces to survive and spread. You lessen that to almost nothing...it has nowhere to go eventually. The less contact available the more chance we have of surviving. That's the thinking of health officials. Don't give it anymore places to move into and take up residency. Also, vaccines are not a 100% guarantee of protection. The flu vaccines are proof of that.
 
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When they tell us to stay home, stay 6 feet from other people, etc. they're trying to show that they're helping & they have solutions.
"Restaurant take out or delivery only." The virus can live on your delivery for 7-14 days or more.
They know those suggestions won't help, but they gotta say something; otherwise people will say, "What good are those "professionals?"
Much like another popular reassurance: "We are monitoring the situation," which is a way of making us think they're doing something about a problem, when they're really doing nothing at all.
 
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win231 said:
When they tell us to stay home, stay 6 feet from other people, etc. they're trying to show that they're helping & they have solutions.
"Restaurant take out or delivery only." The virus can live on your delivery for 7 days or more.
They know those suggestions won't help, but they gotta say something; otherwise people will say, "What good are those "professionals?"
Much like another popular reassurance: "We are monitoring the situation," which is a way of making us think they're doing something about a problem, when they're really doing nothing at all.
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Exactly. If you're destined to get it you're gonna get it no matter what precautions you take because it is so highly contagious. But, the less contact the better. But, how many pandemics do we have at any given time? They probably don't know what to do and they're just doing their best to try to keep us safe. That's all they can really do. If a patient comes into our hospital tomorrow with this crap they will likely infect every single person in the lobby and anyone else that has to take care of them no matter what. Which means we may all get it. I am likely risking my life going to work every day or picking up my groceries outside the store. But I am willing to try to keep myself safe. If I get it, I get it. I figure it's in God's hands and not one thing I do or don't do is gonna change that. But they want to lessen contact in attempt to get ahead of it and try to keep it from continuing to spread. As I said, it's all they can do because they have no clue how to fix this.
 
I don't see any need to over-think this. If we have a choice to go out or stay in - stay in. If we have a choice about bringing new people or items into your immediate surroundings - don't.

Otherwise, find a good book, get out the scrabble set, find an old movie on TV, crank up your computer and read the new jokes here ....... live your life as though you were carefree and snowbound.

Get a simple daily overview of what is going on in the outside world and then turn the news off. Knowing the hourly death count does nothing more than raise the anxiety level.

Re-learn the simple art of amusing yourself
 
fmdog44 said:
I have an item for my knee I will go to Walmart tomorrow to pick up at that automatic pick up vendor machine. I can arrive at 6AM when they open and only a handful of people are there or sleep in and arrive when there is a crowd there. Common sense and when in doubt, wash it. Walmart has initiated a policy for a representative to key in the code on the touch pad for the customers using the vendor machine. I will use a pencil. NOTE: Remember if you are required to sign for something at a store or office ask how many people have touched the pen you are holding?
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Or use your own pen.
 
We are staying home as much as possible. My Wed morning breakfast group has been cancelled, and my wife cancelled all of her gym activities at the same time. I have not been away from the house for five days now except for my walks in the neighborhood and the nearby woods. I am still sane, or at least as sane as I ever was. My wife and I will be spending a lot more time on the phone chatting with friends just to ward off social isolation.
This morning my wife set up home delivery with Publix Grocery Store here in town. Their website was not exactly user friendly, but she finally got it set up and placed an order. It remains to be seen how well it works.
We will still have to venture out for a few things.
 
At my pharmacy we have to use an electronic screen to sign with a pen attached to it. I was wondering how many sick people had been holding that pen. (Not just sick with coronavirus, sick with all kinds of diseases.) I've been wearing latex gloves to the pharmacy and grocery store, then throwing them away as soon as I leave.
 
Sunny said:
At my pharmacy we have to use an electronic screen to sign with a pen attached to it. I was wondering how many sick people had been holding that pen. (Not just sick with coronavirus, sick with all kinds of diseases.) I've been wearing latex gloves to the pharmacy and grocery store, then throwing them away as soon as I leave.
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So.....all those gloves I saw on the ground today are YOURS!!
:ROFLMAO:
 

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