COVID-19 etiquette and good manners after 19 July 2021

I would wear a mask if requested of course or if I had a cold otherwise I like to think the masks can go as soon as possible

I have never done extra washing or cleaning throughout Covid so I have nothing to revert back too I think I m a reasonable clean person and as long as you wash your hands regularly I ve never done any washing of tins groceries post etc etc I always felt that to be over the top

I know two ladies both younger than me who say they re not coming out of their houses for a very long time I think the mental health illness will take over from Covid big time

I intend to forget it now as much as possible and wipe this last year out my head and get on with my last bit of life in my normal mundane way

Just as a matter of interest, how many GN’ers are still quarantining their post and shopping, disinfecting it and not putting it away for three days?

I have never done this, and wonder if others are.

Never done it. I follow the science! There is so much research out there to show that there is no danger from picking COVID up by touching anything.

Calendargirl
I’ve never scrubbed a cabbage or bleached a letter, or used hand sanitizer, I prefer to wash my hands.
The only time I use rubber gloves is cleaning in the house ( of which I do quiet a lot) and in the charity shop where I volunteer. And that’s not because of the virus, it’s because you can come across some very unpleasant ‘stuff’ ?

Calendargirl

Just as a matter of interest, how many GN’ers are still quarantining their post and shopping, disinfecting it and not putting it away for three days?

I have never done this, and wonder if others are.

I have not used disinfectant, basically because such things tend to get up my nose and make me feel ill, but I do quarantine the post, the shopping and anything else, including prescription medicines, that arrive here, using disposable gloves to get it into the house after the deliverer has gone and doing the handwashing too. Also after grocery deliveries changing my clothes and quarantining the discarded clothes for a week before washing them before wearing them again.

I am in total lockdown and intend to stay that way unless I need to go to the dentist or hospital.

The fact of the matter is that the government has a COVID-19 threat level number and, as far as I know, it is still at 3.

I am in my seventies and have a physical frailty score of around 3 or 4, so not too bad, but I must not lift anything more than about three kilogrammes due to a medical situation. But for most things around the house and taking rubbish to the bins and so on I am fine.

On Sunday 15 March 2020 a government minister said on Sky News that the government were thinking of advising people 70 and over to go into voluntary self-isolation as a precaution, but there was no need to do it yet.

I decided to do it from that moment.

I had noticed that Tesco had for a while been offering "leave it in bags on the doorstep" delivery for people with COVID-19 or who were self-isolating in case they had caught it. I was due to get a delivery the next day. So I logged on and changed my delivery notes to request the "leave it in bags on the doorstep" delivery, though pointing this was as a precaution not because I had COVID-19. Tesco did that for me. It has continued and is still the way, though now they do not use the bags but I put boxes out on the doorstep and the delivery driver puts the shopping in the boxes. I label the boxes so that shower gel and food are not in the same box, and so on.

After the delivery driver has gone I get it in a bit at a time using about ten resusable shopping bags of various designs so that a bag used for shower gel is not used for food the next week and so on. Unloading takes around twenty minutes or more but as the driver has gone and I am retired I just do it at a gentle pace. I just accept that this is how I do it these days, just part of life, not upset about it at all.

Everything else is social distance delivery. For example, before the pandemic if a recorded delivery package came I would go to the door and sign for it. Now the postlady knocks the door and stands back, I reply from upstairs and she offers to leave it on the doorstep and sign it herself, I accept and thank her.

This has all happened quite naturally with no fuss. Everybody knows that the pandemic is on and have offered to do it that way.

In March 2020 I genuinely feared that I would not survive beyond July 2020 everything seemed so bad.

So I decided to try not to just worry but to lie on my bed and quite calmly work out what I could do to try to minimise the risk to the extent that I could.

So, wash my hands as the advice said.

So, try not to get them contaminated in the first place either though, so the disposable gloves that I had got from the vet were here, so it seemed sensible to use them.

I learned of the possibility of fomites that remained infectious for 72 hours, so as shopping is weekly, it seemed natural to quarantine for six days before getting the shopping from quarantine.

So as I might get things in contact with clothing or might touch my clothing with potentially contaminated gloves, so changing clothes after a grocery delivery as a routine practice seemed sensible.

I do all of this calmly, not in a panic, just matter of fact routine procedure now. I feel content doing it and safer for doing so. I know that I may be regarded by some people as foolish and overdoing it, but I am still here in July 2021 and as far as I know I have not caught it yet. The threat level is still at 3. So for me, better too much caution than too little.

Yet I appreciate that my situation is not the same situation as the situation of many other people. I am retired and did not go out much anyway and had needed to give up
driving. a few years earlier. I had not been away from the house since mid-2019 when I went to the dentist, supported transport by a driver from the volunteer centre.

Having got into the routine of doing all this and feeling safer because of it, on what basis would I stop doing it?

For me, in my particular circumstances, a threat level of 1, which is that it is not known to be any COVID-19 in the country seems a good test.

If I stopped doing it at present it would save me a bit on gloves, a bit on hot water and washing, a bit of effort and in return I would probably go from being quite calm and relaxed to being anxious and worrying.

So for me, it seems that to continue doing it all is the best option for me.

ElderlyPerson well done you! If that makes you feel safer, it’s well worth all the effort you put in.

Calendargirl

Just as a matter of interest, how many GN’ers are still quarantining their post and shopping, disinfecting it and not putting it away for three days?

I have never done this, and wonder if others are.

I spoke to someone on the beach who told me the only way she could possibly have caught covid was via her supermarket delivery. I’m probably not as thorough as I was with shopping, deliveries etc but I still disinfect things and put gel on my hands when unwrapping things. It’s become second nature to me now.

Elderly Person. I think you’ve got your life pretty sorted. Well done you. I, too felt very bleak and afraid last March and feel much more optimistic now. I rejoice in quite simple things and have found radio programmes that cheer me up no end: laughter being a very good medicine, especially when it comes to mental health. I look forward to utube web chats and look on some of the people doing them as personal friends: ditto internet chums whose friendships have become very important to me. All animals need to adapt to survive and I like to think that’s what I’m doing. I like to think I’ve developed a thicker skin and if and when I get sniggered at in the future for wearing a mask (assuming I ever embrace public transport and cinemas again) I’ll just brush it off!

Maybee70 she probably caught it from the delivery driver.

I am worried that your precautions are unrealistic ElderlyPerson. Are you perhaps very elderly with immune system issues? Did you take similar precautions eg against flu or Norovirus in the days before Covid as well?

My husband had severe underlying health issues (stroke, open heart surgery, blood disease, liver and kidney failure ) and was immunosuppressed for many years after a transplant on the late 90’s but other than normal reasonable hygiene precautions ( hand washing, avoiding those with infections) , I can honestly say none of the others you describe were ever recommended or would have even occurred to me
I suppose personally I would count as 2/3 on the frailty scale , normal I suspect for one’s mid-70’s and think my guardian Angel must have been looking after me as while I have exercised normal precautions and abided by the regulations, when permitted I have travelled by train, been to the theatre , regularly drive locally and further afield, shop, meet friends and carry on pretty much as normal all things considered.
One has to be sensible but one also has to have a life worth protecting and I am concerned that some people have been so frightened by Covid that the rest of their lives will be spent sheltering indoors.

Are you happy, ElderlyPerson? If you are and you feel your life is fulfilling, then ignore the rest of what I am going to say.
If you are unhappy, or unfulfilled, if each day fills you with anxiety and stress, if you rarely leave your home or interact with anyone then maybe you could ease up a little on your regime? You might experience happiness and joy through freedom and interaction? (All whilst taking sensible, reasonable precautions)

Maw I have to agree with you about being unrealistic.

I am have been shielding, am immunosuppressed and know from my consultant that the vaccine will never be fully effective for me. If I catch Covid, I have been told I will die.
However, I want to live my life again and make the best of things, before time runs out for me. I refuse to spend the rest of my life isolated and a prisoner, cowering in my home. We have to learn to be careful, but realistic and manage living with this virus.
I am still very careful and will continue to wear a mask, follow strict hygiene procedures and avoid crowded places if possible.
After avoiding hospitals for well over a year, I had an appointment last week and there are more to come. I felt quite safe and strict protocols were in place.
As for quarantining post and shopping I don't do that. The only people who have been in my home in the last month have been my children and it will continue that way.
It's about what is best for ourselves, but at the same time, respecting the welfare of others.

Elderlyperson, I hope you don't mind me asking, but your story seems very familiar, have you posted about this previously?

elderlyperson You continue to do what is right for you. It's worked so far and if it stops you being anxious then its all good.

I no longer wash down shopping except for fruit but will continue to have it delivered and left on doorstep. I wash my hands more than I did before Covid and will continue to wear a mask for as long as I feel comfortable doing so. I much prefer to eat outdoors during the summer anyway as we usually have dogs with us. Now we have wonderful outdoor areas that aren't just for smokers.....my covid silver lining
Don't use public transport so not a problem.
This is the first year/18mths that we or our family including very elderly immunosuppressed parents havent had so much as a cold so we must be doing something right

Marydoll

Maw I have to agree with you about being unrealistic.

I am have been shielding, am immunosuppressed and know from my consultant that the vaccine will never be fully effective for me. If I catch Covid, I have been told I will die.
However, I want to live my life again and make the best of things, before time runs out for me. I refuse to spend the rest of my life isolated and a prisoner, cowering in my home. We have to learn to be careful, but realistic and manage living with this virus.
I am still very careful and will continue to wear a mask, follow strict hygiene procedures and avoid crowded places if possible.
After avoiding hospitals for well over a year, I had an appointment last week and there are more to come. I felt quite safe and strict protocols were in place.
As for quarantining post and shopping I don't do that. The only people who have been in my home in the last month have been my children and it will continue that way.
It's about what is best for ourselves, but at the same time, respecting the welfare of others.

Elderlyperson, I hope you don't mind me asking, but your story seems very familiar, have you posted about this previously?

> Elderlyperson, I hope you don't mind me asking, but your story seems very familiar, have you posted about this previously?

Your asking is fine gentle lady.

I may well have posted in a similar manner previously.

I found Gransnet a few months ago following a search engine search about Tesco trayliners.

I am male, no children, but I have found this forum very supportive and of great benefit to me.

If Elderlyperson you are prepared to continue doing what you have been doing that's fine.

Last year we shut ourselves down on 13th March, well before the government instructed us to do so.

We are fortunate in that we are both retired and so did not need to go out to work. We were able to get supermarket deliveries.

The delivery person would put the groceries on the floor of our porch. We wore gloves and masks and filled up our own bags to take them into the kitchen. There we wiped everything with disinfectant before putting it away.

Since we have now both been double jabbed I go to the supermarket and put things away without using disinfectant, just as I used to do.

We probably do more hand-washing than before and when I go to the supermarket I go at a quiet time, wear a mask, wipe the trolley handle with disinfectant, and avoid getting within 2m of anyone.

If you have also been double jabbed perhaps you could relax a bit, but if you don't want to you don't have to.

Elderly Person. I’m glad that you found this forum and that it has helped you. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve found that internet chums have helped me greatly over the past 18 months so I hope you continue to find this a happy place.

MawBe wrote:

> I am worried that your precautions are unrealistic ElderlyPerson. Are you perhaps very elderly with immune system issues?

I am in my seventies.

I have had life-changing surgery several years ago but it was not an immune system issue. However, I did give up driving as a result and using public transport is not possible for me, and before the pandemic I have used a taxi and avoided travelling, for example, previously to the surgery I would take a pet that needed a blood test to the vet, afterwards I paid for the vet for a home visit rather than having a taxi to take me with the pet to the vet. It cost more, but not running a car saved a lot. Since the pandemic a vet or a vet nurse collects the pet and goes back to the surgery and then returns the pet later, with careful five metre social distancing and care so that the pet is not ever for an instant not in supervised line of sight by at least one of us. All done with great care and planning.

The vet posts my supply of disposable gloves as needed and the postlady delivers them social distance to the doorstep.

> Did you take similar precautions eg against flu or Norovirus in the days before Covid as well?

Not to this extent. However a nurse told me over the telephone that the way flu and COVID-19 infections get from one person to another are similar, so even if COVID-19 goes I consider that the doorstep deliveries might well be worth keeping indefinitely particularly to help reduce the chances of getting flu. It is also quicker for the delivery driver to put my groceries in boxes and then go than to wait for me to unload groceries.

I had for many years always taken my own pen to the bank rather than use the pen that is chained to the counter after I saw an article about some tests where swab samples from such pens in London had been plated and MRSA found.

I don't know if it helped, but it might have done.

ElderlyPerson

I remember you writing about tray liners.

I’m glad GN is proving helpful to you.

I also think if these strict routines make anyone, including elderlyperson feel better, then that’s what they should do. We’re at much the same stage as you varian and so we’re out and about, no longer cleaning shopping, going out for meals sometimes, and I even went into London on the train and tube, met a friend and had afternoon tea at a nice hotel. I didn’t feel unsafe at any point, nowhere was crowded. We’re going off on holiday next week to a cute little cottage in Somerset, very isolated, and on a farm, but we will be out and about in the local area. At the end of September we’re off to Zakinthos hopefully, and it’s just been announced that we’ll be expected to wear a mask on our EasyJet flight, despite today’s announcement that masks will no longer be mandatory. Good, that’s a good thing.

I also took my little grandson to the cinema to see Peter Rabbit 2 during half term. There was no one else anywhere near us. I felt very safe.

Polly12

Are you happy, ElderlyPerson? If you are and you feel your life is fulfilling, then ignore the rest of what I am going to say.
If you are unhappy, or unfulfilled, if each day fills you with anxiety and stress, if you rarely leave your home or interact with anyone then maybe you could ease up a little on your regime? You might experience happiness and joy through freedom and interaction? (All whilst taking sensible, reasonable precautions)

Yes I am happy.

I read the rest of your post anyway.

I hardly went out before.

My days are not filled with anxiety and stress, I take the precautions so that I do not worry. I feel that I have done all I can. I rationalise it by considering that if, say, I did not use gloves for the shopping and I were in hospital with COVID-19 I would think why oh why did I not use the gloves when I had the chance to do so.

Also that it not like a physics experiment where one can try doing it in various ways and note which is needed. One go only. So better to take more precautions than may be needed than fewer, because I don't know whether it is necessary or a waste of time and effort.

Don't worry about people who say this kind of thing ElderlyPerson. They remind me of the playground bullies who try to goad other children into doing something out of their comfort zone (often downright dangerous) with the aim of making fun of the other children's fear.

ElderlyPerson, you give the impression that you enjoy being on here. I know that during my lonely, sheilding period, I took comfort from the friendship, I found on GN.
I hope you can find some good friends on here, you will comfortable with. As long as you are content and feel safe, that's all that matters
I'm different from you, I'm a social animal and I have missed company so much , but intend to take baby steps, as I'm still over cautious.

I notice the use of "different from".

Well done.

MissMarydoll tries not to make errors. Her pupils on here take great delight in spotting them! ?