Happy Quarantine Day?
Salutation isolation. What a beautiful day to look at the four walls of my tiny studio apartment. No job, no money, and honestly, no ESSENTIAL responsibilities. That’s a typical Tuesday for me since this Lock-down started. It isn’t any different than any other day. I’ll sleep until about 10 am, get up and stare at the wall for about 15 minutes.
After watching the dry paint on the wall, I’ll climb out of bed and take a shower. Regardless of how hot the shower is, I’ll crawl back into bed and continue with my unproductive day. But, let’s be honest, for a moment, this Coronavirus stuff has really started to take a toll on my community and also on my mental health. I am more sluggish (than usual), and I find myself getting upset about the littlest things, but what can you do?
History of Quarantine
Middle ages
Just in case you need a brief overview of what quarantine is, let me enlighten you. Quarantine actually dates back to the 14th Century. It was an effort to protect coastal cities from plagued ships arriving in Vince, which were traveling home from infected ports. They were required to sit at anchor for 40 days before landing. The time frame that was placed influenced today's word Quarantine, which derived from the Italian word Quaranta Giorni which literally means 40 days.
Early American Quarantine
Everyone knows that American was founded by immigrants that come over to establish the land and eventually paved the way for most of today's federal involvement. In 1878, with the continued outbreaks of yellow fever that were going on, the State and local governments decided to impose requirements that would ensure safe and healthy practices.
"The kind of 'assisted emigrant' we can not afford to admit." So reads the caption to this 1883 Puck drawing, which shows members of the New York Board of Health wielding a bottle of carbolic acid, a disinfectant, in their attempts to keep cholera at bay.
© Corbis Images
Late 19th Century
The U.S. Congress passed the National Quarantine Act in 1893. The act created a national system of quarantine while still permitting state-run quarantines. It codifies standards for medically inspecting immigrants, ships, and cargoes, a task now in the federal Marine Hospital Service's hands. The act gave the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) responsibility for preventing the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the United States. So with this being in place, we shouldn’t have any problems with outbreaks hitting the States, or what is just an act in place to make it seem as if all is good?
The year 2020
If you are of age, you probably know of the world's problem today—the overwhelming and scary reality of the Conoravirus and all of the issues arising from it. When you think about quarantine, you imagine being in a controlled environment that ensures you are confined to a single place. Basically, that is correct, but you get to stay in the comfort of your apartment…house or cardboard box.
It sounds like heaven for all of you introverts out there, but it is starting to eat at my soul for the extroverted community and myself. I've given started to pretend like I'm going out for a jog! In reality, I haven't done anything physical since 2005. Or let’s talk about the fact that I brought a plant named him Milton, after the guy at Lowes, and I talk to him on a daily. That's a Generations Z way of trying to reach out to the world and say, "I AM STILL HERE, NOTICE ME."
Milton and I in our natural habitat, just in case you were interested in seeing us.
It's hard to be in this quarantine situation; I feel like a ghost stuck in a haunted house trying to make friends with people scared for so reason. Like hello, I'm dead, not contagious!
As days go by, new rules are being put into place to help the American people. Oh, like in Arkansas, how we have to line up to go to Wal-mart like a soft Black Friday opening? What are you to do right? All you can do is hope that people stay more than six feet away, and the toilet that you are about to sit on hasn't been coughed on.
What do we do know? Well, there isn't much for us to do but sit and wait for the next case, the subsequent press conference, and hopefully, the strength of our immune systems to keep us going. There is a couple of proactive things that we can you to ensure that things don't worsen. I promise that this is creditable information I stole from the CDC website. It can't get any more accurate than that unless you think that the Illuminati run the Government, and the things that the CDC is saying are actually there to brainwash you. If so, that is your choice.
The number one thing about anything is understanding what something is, how you can get it, and how you can prevent it now and in the future.
So, just in case you didn’t know, there isn’t a vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019, but the ways you can prevent illness among you and others are the best way to prevent illness to avoid being exposed to this virus.
The virus is thought to spread mainly person-to-person.
Stay within about 6 feet. Personally, I don’t like to be right up underneath someone, so try to keep your distance.
WASH YOUT HANDS. Simple but effective. Scrub for at least 20 seconds or longer. If you don’t have soap and water, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, or just avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth, or other people until you can wash them.
Avoid Close Contact:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick or people in general. I’m sorry that you are single and you have finally matched with the love of your life on tinder. Wait until everything dies down. Your Quarantine-bae can wait.
Cover your mouth:
When you in public for an extended period, make sure that you cover your mouth and nose with a cloth. This is not meant to protect you from other people but protect other people from yourself just in case you are asymptomatic.
Cover coughs and sneezes:
Cover coughs and sneezes. Even if you are in a private setting, practice covering your mouth and nose using the inside of your elbow, throwing used tissues in the trash, and WASHING YOUR HANDS.
Clean and Disinfect:
It is important that we forget to do sometimes is clean AND disinfects frequently touched surfaces DAILY. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, etc. This is an excellent way to use the Clorox wipes that magically disappears from all the store I go to.
Don’t be dumb, So the CDC didn’t actually post that on their website. This is coming from the deepest part of my heart to the beautiful and equally stupid people out there.
While these are simple guidelines, there will be some people who will not listen. That's okay; it’s called the survival of the fittest, and that doesn't always mean physical strength; most times is means being mentally and intelligently capable. However, you interpret with this information that is on you. I know what I'm to stay safe, and I hope you listen to your health care workers, the right parts of Government, and you are staying up-to-date with prominent local and state news.
But, I'm no one of authority; I'm just saying.
Signing off,
PJS
