Army Bob: Use common sense, and we’ll beat virus

by Robert M. Traxler

The takeaway from the “Twin Cities” study (Townbroadcast April 16, the Spanish Flu Minneapolis vs. St. Paul) is that we can beat this pandemic with good old proven mitigation, such as washing dishes in restaurants, not using communal cups and towels, not having sporting events with hundreds or thousands present and not having schools open. Basic sanitation (absent in 1917-1919), sanitized masks and gloves for all and using care in the workplace will slow the COVID-19 virus to a crawl until a vaccine is developed.

High risk folks such as medical caregivers, those of us over 65, and good folks with  pre-existing conditions will need to practice actions akin to military MOPP-4 rules (Mission Oriented Protective Posture-4); mask and gloves when out and wash clothing when arriving home. Having outside and inside shoes to keep from tracking the virus around the house makes sense.

I have taken to opening the car windows when I get home and put the car in the garage; a takeaway from the after-action review of the Twin Cities study was that fresh air was vital to mitigation of the Spanish Flu. I can’t find a medical study to back the fresh air theory, but no harm, no foul; we do know time kills the COVID-19 virus in hours or days depending on the surface.

The number of homicides and suicides during the national lock down or lockup is not known, at least I can’t find a credible number; it just may be too early in the reporting cycle. We do know that when unemployment is high, so are suicides and crimes against persons, such as abuse, rape, assault and murder.

The effects on our society of controls mandated by the government may never be known. We can put the blood of a deceased person under a microscope and blame the COVID-19 virus, but we can’t do that with assigning blame for a murder or suicide. We do know the sale of drugs and alcohol are up, as are calls to various intervention hot lines.

Some good news. During my last visit to the big box grocery store, 60% or so of the customers were using masks, not great but better. Since we were previously told that masking up was dangerous and unpatriotic, it will take time to get the word out to everyone to use basic common sense and mask up.

Some of the masks had messages written on them and some were statements on who the person behind the mask was (U of M, Grand Mom etc.), a very neat idea. Many were homemade and downright cute.

If making a homemade mask, please consider leaving an opening to add a paper towel rectangle with dried soapy water or disinfectant on it between the two cloth layers of the mask. I read a very interesting article on how soap kills a virus; do not underestimate the power of everyday soap, (it is an ass kicker to a virus) and a good washing with soap and water will kill a virus.

Also let’s take a few seconds and thank those who are working during this national emergency. Of course, health care workers, but also folks in stores at all levels and those in the supply chain who ensure we stay fed and healthy. The postal workers, the folks who pick up our garbage, the fire and police professionals who protect us day in and day out, our power company folks, gas stations,  the list is long, but all are important, very important.

A great example of how we may have turned the corner on this pandemic is the politically correct word police are back out. The term “social distancing” is verboten, we must now say “distancing with social interaction.” Whatever floats their boats; if the thought and language police are back out in force, things must be getting better.

Even small arms ammunition is back in stock, along with toilet paper.