Facts Not Fear

Thank you to my friend Dale for the title of this morning's post. We are both AirBnB hosts and were chatting about how we address the coronavirus issue for and with our guests.

After a long discussion with my daughters, I decided to wait until guests ask (none have yet) and to do everything we possibly can. We bought antiseptic, sterilizing wipes for each room and I made a list of all the little places for my housekeeper to wipe down. She had not arrived when I had to leave for an appointment so I left her a message through someone else.

When I came home, I asked if she had received the message and she had and I still went through the list with her. She listened very politely then said very gently, "I am a professional cleaner and I do that all the time." Well, yes! No one told me and I didn't ask. Even when I said I wanted all the door handles to the outside doors wiped down, she said she did that every time she left the house. Now if my guests ask, I can assure them we have always done everything we can to assure their room is clean and comfortable. Facts not fear.

One daughter works for a district school system and their superintendent sent out an email saying in essence but more completely, "We are following the CDC guidelines" then listed a number of resources for parents and staff to access factual information. Parents were encouraged to be in touch with their school's principal if they had any questions at all. Facts not fear.

Articles and interviews are finally telling some very clear facts about this virus and ways to combat it. Every one that I have read or heard starts with "Wash you hands". Hmmmm - don't I remember my mom teaching me that when I was little? And if I'm not mistaken, I taught my daughters that when they were little. I'm sure we aren't the only ones which probably accounts for the meme I saw that said that it might be a good idea to wash our hands regularly even if there isn't an epidemic of some sort around. Facts not fear.

Be diligent, my friends. Learn the facts. Be reasonable. Do not live in fear. And, please, wash your hands.