Anthony Fauci and 5 other health specialists answered question on how they personally deal with COVID-19 on a daily basis. Here are the findings, in a shorter form than the original, plus added material from other reliable sources.
The new and important news is that items you bring into your home are rarely touched and when they are the virus dies very quickly.This means it is a waste of time to wash your groceries and disinfect your packages. They recommend washing your hands after you put things away. If you are still dubious, whatever comes in can just sit for a day and the virus will have died. There is more and more evidence that shows transmission is fully direct person-to-person contact.
MASKS: They all agree that wearing a mask anyplace that is not your home is vital, though they stress being outside poses less of a risk as long as you can also socially distance. Some studies since the protests began suggest that being outside at all drastically reduces the spread of the virus.
VISITORS: Do not have any, with 2 exceptions; adult kids, IF you are 100% sure they have been quarantined and/or have taken all the precautions. Also,house cleaners come in but the family either leaves or gathers in one room until they are finished.Hardest are repair technicians. With them, wear a mask and keep your distance. Friends are only allowed outside and at least 6 feet away. They cannot go inside at all.
GROCERY STORE
OR ORDER ONLINE?: Its split half and half. If you go to any store wear your mask, AND social distance. Social distancing and wearing a mask are supposed to work together. It is not and either/ or situation.
MAIL AND PACKAGES: They are not too worried about these 2 items. Again, the more labs study this virus the more they have seen that it infects almost completely person-to-person.
INSIDE/OUTSIDE DINING: NONE of them will dine indoors and they seem to feel strongly about this. Two of them might dine outside if there are only a couple others there and they were far apart but the answer is generally no.
BUS/TRAIN/FLYING: No, no and NO. If you MUST fly (medical emergency) wear an N95 mask.
JOINING A PROTEST: If you are going to do it, wear the best mask you can find, stay 6 feet apart from anyone, and stay to the edges of the crowd. Of course this is nearly impossible to do because you are not in control of the people around you, but if you or your kids insist, that's the safest way to go about it. Personally, I would not allow a household member to go, and others need to quarantine for 14 days afterwards before I will see them.
EXERCISE: Stay out of the gym! They were adamant about that. Exercise in your home or where you will be alone like walking, jogging or bike riding.
DOCTORS: Going to the doctor is much safer now. They all are overly cautious for themselves and their patients and what protects them protects you anyway. Anything elective or preventative can wait.
ANOTHER WORD ON MASKS
Since your mask is your best defense you should know the facts.
If you google a mask you will find many different ways of making one and a variety to purchase but they are all carefully worded to say "stops the spread of COVID-19" and not "prevents YOU from getting COVID-19". The mask I am recommending will help prevent you from getting the virus.
Wearing a mask helps others greatly, and helps you depending on the type of mask you wear. The way the N95 fits is a large part of why it is effective. It fits snugly to all parts of the face so there is no way for air to get in. If you find a mask made of the right cloth and make sure there is no air getting in it will be as effective as an N95.
There have been numerous tests performed to find the best cloth to use for a mask and thankfully these separate tests reached the same conclusions. Two layers of cotton fabric with a middle layer of either flannel, silk or chiffon. On inserts, you can use cotton or even a paper towel or coffee filter. The best is cotton/silk/cotton because the silk has an electrostatic charge.
Once you get the fabric the hard part is blocking all gaps. It really seems impossible, which is why the N95 and similar are the best. N95 has a 99.9% effective rate whereas a mask with gaps are up to 50% less effective at protecting you. Find a mask that fits over the face but also over and under the chin. Pull the sides where the elastic comes out tightly to bunch up the fabric. This will create a seal on the sides. The hard part is the nose. Even with a wire it doesn't want to seal. There is always tape for that, though if you have only that part slight gaped and you social distance you are pretty well protected. Just be aware of this weakness in the mask if you do not tape it at the nose.
Do not touch your mask while it is being worn and wash your hands after removal. Wash frequently in mild soap, no softeners or dryer sheets. I have seen people wearing them pulled off their nose "so they can breathe better". I understand this but if you do that why wear one at all? Plus, if you could breathe easily through it it will not protect you (though it will protect those around you.)
On the mask I am recommending:
from Medical News Today:
"The team even suggests that the performance of this combination is comparable to that of N95 masks, which are used by healthcare professionals."
Etsy .com is a treasure trove of mask shops.
Here are 2 links to a couple shops I found that make good masks:
I hope this helped. There is so much confusion. If you know me well you know I have been dubbed "the queen of research" by my family and it's not uncommon for me to research a topic for 3 full days before writing on it.
Please comment if you have anything to add or if you have questions. You will be helping others. Stay safe.
CORRECTION: The masks you buy are actually do not mention illness prevention at all. they recommend masks for dust, construction, etc. but never mention illnesses. The medical experts are the ones who rarely tell you to wear a mask to protect yourself. They tell you its "to stop the spread" which may imply self protection.
