Japanese research, for example, advises humans avoid the “3 Cs”: closed environments, crowded places, and close-contact settings.
Moreover, “Any one of us could unknowingly be a superspreader.”
News blues…
Reality check:- Covid-19-related deaths rose to 1,831 across South Africa, including 60 deaths reported in the Western Cape, 27 in Gauteng and seven in KZN.
- Brazil is now the world's second worst-hit country with more than 1 million COVID-19 cases, and nearly 50,000 deaths.
- India reported 14,516 coronavirus cases and 375 deaths in the last 24 hours.
***
Ouch, The Lincoln Project is ramping up on Donald Trump. Their latest hard-hitting ad, “China”, will drive The Donald crazy. (Well, crazier than usual. That whiff of smoke you detect wafting in Washington and Mar-a-Largo? That’s Bunker Boy’s Twitter account sizzling as he tries to duck and cover….)
***
Week’s Webinars Daily Maverick: “Risks and Rotisserie Chicken: How safe is our food during Covid-19?”
Hosted by Estelle Ellis with food expert Professor Lucia Anelich.
Takeaways:
- No current evidence the virus is transmitted via contaminated food and food packaging. (Coronavirus is a primarily a respiratory, not digestive, illness.)
- Do not disinfect your groceries with soap and water (soap is toxic to humans’ digestive systems).
- Virus is susceptible to drying out.
- Refrigeration and freezing prolongs virus survival.
- Virus does not fare well in higher temps, above 30 or 32 Celsius.
- Sunlight: virus “seems not to like sunlight,” but person/item would have to be in sunlight for “a few hours” to negatively affect virus.
- Virus only replicates in the host cells – not outside cells, surfaces, etc.
- Gloves: not a good way of dealing with Covid-19, particularly when dealing with food. Often give a false sense of security: hand washing is more effective than wearing gloves.
- Supermarket trollies and baskets: wipe handles down before use.
- Safety glasses: okay but be vigilant and do not rub eyes.
- Disinfect shoes? WHO says virus not transmissible via shoes and disinfecting streets not useful.
- Dogs: no indications that strangers touching/patting your dog spreads virus.
- Taking temperatures and listing names: food industry does/must take temps; person taking temp should be protected with mask and regularly sanitize hands.
- Handling money/cash: sanitize hands after handling/handing over/accepting money – both paper and coins.
- Air con: consensus that virus is not aerosolized in office environment – distribute by large droplets within a meter of person shedding droplets.
- Disinfection booths: avoid them.
- Be aware. Practice safe food handling. Wear masks, correctly; Wash hand, correctly (20 seconds at least).
Mail & Guardian: “COVID-19 & WFH: Best practices for employers and employees to adapt work-from-home as the new normal.”
Moderator: Melody Xaba, Learning & Development Consultant & Co-Founder of My Future Work. Presenters: Colin Erasmus, Modern Workplace Business Group Lead at Microsoft; Bronwyn Williams, Trend Translator & Future Finance Specialist at Flux Trends.
Takeaways re (Working from Home) WFH:
- Pros: flexibility for employees; employers can save costs; requires trust;
- Cons: small children at home, not at school, cuts down on productivity; requires trust;
- Review of Tools, systems, contractual obligations, technologies; Using devices (headsets, laptops, phones); Security; Generational challenges; Types of work.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Warmer weather, and sunshine!Neighborhood walks resumed; neighborhood dogs woof and howl as I pass by; neighborhood vegetation looking peaky but not frozen.
***
What, I wonder, are the statistics on infection rates of passengers on repatriation flights? Reviewing the risks of transmission during air travel makes me (somewhat) happy I’ve stayed put.
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