My Life in LA County During COVID-19: March 27

Harry Keller 80By Harry Keller
Former ETCJ Science Editor
& President of SmartScience

My daughter also informs me that her son’s elementary school principal has the virus now. -HK

Mar 27, 2020 at 2:01 PM: My wife and I continue in good health. We are now being more careful in what we do. We have found a local restaurant that is offering home delivery of boxes of fruits and vegetables in place of meals. My daughter has had one delivery and says it looks good. We may give them a try soon. She also found a restaurant that should meet our needs when we choose not to cook. I should say when I choose not to cook because I do all of the cooking.

Our beaches, bike paths, piers, and bathrooms have been shut down now. -HK

When you receive a box, it could be contaminated with the virus. It’s not likely, but it can happen because not every infected person has symptoms. You should put the box in the sunlight if possible. Ultraviolet light is very good at destroying viruses. Open it outdoors if you can. Some apartment dwellers do not have that option. Do not bring the empty box indoors. Recycle it outside. 

Once you have put the contents away, wash your hands well. Twenty seconds is the recommended time. You could wear disposable gloves if you have them. Allow the contents to sit for a day before touching them again. These are minimal measures to take. It seems as though you can have no guarantees of escape. A 44-year-old man in excellent health just died of the virus. Do not become a statistic if you can help it.

Next week, my son exits his 2-week isolation, and we can see him again. -HK

Next week, my son exits his 2-week isolation, and we can see him again. We hope to share a delivery lunch from a local vegan Indian restaurant in place of our usual trip to a distant restaurant that is no longer available to us. We will still be taking precautions, just not as severe as complete isolation. My son had traveled to Australia through Tokyo and Singapore. So far, he has no symptoms. I think he escaped the viral scourge.

My daughter also informs me that her son’s elementary school principal has the virus now. The school has been shut down, but she may be proof that the whole school has been exposed, including the children and, therefore, their families. We don’t know for sure, but this will boost our infection rate up from 17 just a day ago. Our beaches, bike paths, piers, and bathrooms have been shut down now.

Cold weather in the mountains and rain on Sunday induced us to wait until Monday to travel to our mountain lot.

I have been around for a long time, having been born during WW II, and have never seen anything even close to this situation. We have so many problems facing our societies. We certainly could have done without this one.

One Response

  1. Harry, thank you for sharing your personal experiences and thoughts. You’re speaking for many of us as we, together and in isolation, hunker down and try to survive this unprecedented crisis. Our thoughts are with your daughter and grandson, hoping that COVID-19 hasn’t been spread through the school principal. I’ve shared your tips on handling boxes of delivered groceries with my children and their families. Take care. -Jim

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