HAND SANTIZERS: It turns out that hand sanitizers may not be the best first line of defense. Experts are saying that good old soap-and-water-hand-washing is better than the alcohol based hand sanitizers for controlling the virus. Face masks, tp, and hand sanitizers have been flying off the shelves and apparently all for the wrong reasons. Masks are best for those who are sick and the medical community that must care for them; NOT those who are well. Corona symptoms do not support the need for excess tp usage. And, sanitizers alone, according to Huffington Post, do not penetrate and kill viruses outer coatings as well as plain soap and water. Sanitizers are at their best when you do not have access to a bar of soap and a sink with water.

AUTHOR QUESTION: One Co-op member asks: "Would appreciate knowing if, or how much, contamination/ exposure/ threat actual books may carry. Will it be safe to share books? Use the library? Etc.?" Well, . . . I am not an expert but I too have had this question. I get several dozen packages every day from people entering the Book Awards contest and I've wondered about that same question — am I likely to catch the virus from any of these packages? I have done a lot of reading on this subject and frankly no one seems to know yet since COVID-19 is so new. BUT, most experts seem to feel that the virus may be active on surfaces for anywhere from a couple of hours up to a couple of days. That's probably why experts say to wipe down countertops and work surfaces and cell phones. The length of time seems to be impacted by the type of surface in question and the environment (temperature and humidity) -- hard non-porous surfaces like metal or granite countertops hold the virus for less time than poreous ones such as paper. Until I hear otherwise, I have just been a little slow in opening book entry packages. I usually have been giving it about 2-3 days before I open the package since I do not know where or from whom the package is coming. I also wash my hands before I open the package and immediately after. So far, so good.

A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE: We are an industry that always has conducted its business with a special fondness for personal contact —finding the right people for our messages even if many of us are introverts — and now we are resorting to phone calls, electronic messaging and virtual conferencing to stay in touch with our audiences — for all the right reasons. I have always been in what now may appear to have been a "bubble" — our new “handshake-free” and “hug-free” world is very foreign to me and will take a lot of getting used to. We all need to change ... now appears to be a time where we must get over our "introverted" habits and reach out to help our neighbors, friends, family, and colleagues, even if not actually face-to-face. This will be a challenge, at least for me.

The thought of what can happen if we go ahead as usual without making changes during the spread of the coronavirus is something I frankly would not like to dwell on for very long. I'd rather make some changes in the way I function day to day and look the virus full in the face (with or without a mask), unpack my bags for the duration of this crisis, and ask what it is we have to offer those who are suffering most in the uncertainty and dread of a threat that our governments really may not be able to handle. Right now, I personally think the world needs us to look up, to look out, and to ask how we can pitch in and help each other. I hope you can join me!

PS: Just think. Now I probably have plenty of time to finish up my taxes and to fill-out the Census forms without worrying as much about it.

Paul Rhetts