Being smarter in 2020: A reminder to stay safe during the pandemic
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Johanna Eubank
Online producer
With COVID-19 cases increasing in number, it seems like a good time to brush up on those things that may keep us all a bit safer.
Being smarter in 2020: Treat your mask like underwear
Updated
The iconic Casa Molina bull and matador statue both sported masks on the first full week of the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in mid-May.
You know you should wear a mask when out in public, but do you know how to wear it and how to take care of it? A dirty mask could just make things worse.
It’s a good idea to have more than one mask, perhaps even four or five masks per person in your household. That way you can have a clean one every day but only wash every other day, these tips from the World Health Organization indicate.
How to wear your fabric mask
- Wash your hands before putting it on.
- Make sure the mask isn’t torn or worn out.
- The mask should cover your nose, mouth and chin, leaving no gaps on the sides.
- Don’t touch the mask while wearing it, or at least try not to touch it.
- If your mask gets dirty or wet, change it.
- Wash your hands before taking off your mask.
- Take off the mask by holding the ear loops instead of touching the front of the mask.
- Wash your hands after handling the mask.
One way to remember how to handle your mask is to treat it like underwear, according to tips from Northern Illinois University and other Internet sources.
- Don’t share it.
- Wash it daily or have enough so that you can wear a clean one daily.
- Don’t touch or adjust it, especially in public.
- Make sure the fit is tight but comfortable.
- Wear the right side out.
- If it is damp or dirty, change it.
If this makes you wonder if you should wash your mask daily, that’s probably a good idea, according to WHO tips.
How to wash your mask
- Wash fabric masks at least daily with soap or detergent in hot water.
- If you don’t have hot water, wash it in room-temperature water and then either boil the mask for one minute or soak it in a chlorine solution (put a teaspoon or two of chlorine bleach in about a gallon of water in a tub or sink) for one minute and then rinse thoroughly with room temperature water. Doing that means you should not have any chlorine residue on the mask.
Photos: Tucsonans Don Masks to help curb Coronavirus
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Tom "Tiger" Ziegler: "I miss my work, my customers and my co-workers. I don't want my people to get this damn disease." June 30, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Rico Otero: "It's affected me by being limited in going out so much. Learn how to stay in more. Re-learning how to sanitize." June 2, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Pamela Stewart: "We've been turned upside down. Everything is different. For African Americans, we wear a mask and glasses, if I go into a bank or a business I'm already judged. It's a double threat for us as I see it." June 2, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Gabrielle Nunn: "Mostly my daughter. She has autism. The huge change has been stressful for her. She worries about me, being at work." May 14, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Lori VanBuggenum: "Even though the distance hasn't changed, this has made me feel the furthest away from my family. Everyone is in Wyoming. I can't jump on a plane and go see them." May 5, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Benjamin Johnson: "The word uncertainty just keeps coming to mind. I feel the biggest thing for me is being fully open to uncertainty with kindness and compassion." April 29, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Cellisa Johnson: "It's affected me financially with my business as well as emotionally, not being able to be hands on with my clients." April 29, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Bebe Barbosa: "I am a touching person. I like to hug. I'm missing the embracing." April 24, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Logan Byers: "I'm very conscious how my actions affect other people now, more than ever. Every place I go to I'm conscious of how close I am to people." April 29, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Elana Bloom: "It was very shocking. Everything I had planned for – my whole business was canceled over a two day period." Bloom owns Solstice, a textile business and would make most of her money in the Spring to help with the slower months of Summer. April 14, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
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Kristina Michelle: My cousin passed away four days ago in New Orleans. We can't get an autopsy for a while and there will be no funeral service. April 14, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
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Pat Fisher: "A friend of a friend is living with me and his three cats. It was only supposed to be temporary, but now he can't find a job or pay for a place to rent. The situation probably won't change until the Fall." April 14, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Lori Adkison: "This is reaffirming my belief in community." April 13, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Sammy Cabrera: "A lot of people grab what they don't need at stores. I don't like the way some people are acting." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
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Jamie Galindo: "I'm getting over an ex-boyfriend and having to social distance is difficult." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
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Michelle Arreola: "My whole life is on hold." Job interviews are postponed and the medical college admission test is on hold. April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
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Kent Bauman: "I've had less of an impact. I work for a solar company so we're running full steam. People are home and are thinking about self-sufficiency and thinking about the environment." April 16, 2020
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
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Trevonn Clark: "I miss going to restaurants and the movies." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
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Laura Eliason: "I wonder when I'll be able to travel and see my family again." April 8, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
George Ortega, retiree: "I am retired. I wear a mask because it makes me feel good and others feel good." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
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Fox Nopri: "It has definitely affected me by how I keep up with my behavioral health. Most of the places I go have been closed down or have set dates to close." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
Jeronimo "Mo" Madril, owner and executive chef of Geronimo's Revenge: "As an owner and driven person, I am very discouraged. It is what it is." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
Updated
David Clarke, unemployed bartender: "I am an out of work bartender. Jobs have instantly vanished." April 6, 2020.
Tucsonans wearing masks, coronavirus
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Leonel Cabrera. April 6, 2020.
Being smarter in 2020: Getting out without endangering your health
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People should keep a distance of at least 6 feet at all times to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
Sheltering in place and social distancing are things most of us never thought we would have to take part in, but they are now the new reality because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Did we ever think our Easter Sunday church services would be attended via video? Did we ever think we’d scurry through the grocery store wearing face masks and trying to stay 6 feet away from everyone else? Did we ever think we’d worry about running out of toilet paper?
It’s a new world and we’re all learning to adapt.
We’re making face masks or learning to wrap scarves around our faces so we won’t transmit a virus we hope we don’t have. We’re staying home and we’re doing our best to stay 6 feet away from everyone we meet when we must go out.
For many of us, 6 feet is easy to estimate. But there are a lot of people who just aren’t as good at that as others. How much is 6 feet?
A good way to estimate that is to imagine you and the next person holding out your arms toward each other.
The average single arm length from shoulder to fingertip is about 42% of a person’s height. So two people who are 6 feet (72 inches) tall would have arms that are about 30.2 inches. If they hold their arms out toward each other, they would need to leave about a foot more of space between their hands to be 6 feet apart. It’s easier to estimate a foot in distance than 6 feet.
But enough math. You have to get out before you begin knocking down walls.
What about hiking? Yes, you will come across other people if you go out for a hike.
Art and Sharon Ragland like to get out on some hiking trails around town and haven’t let COVID-19 stop them. They seek out the more open and wide trails so they can see more of what is around them. They know some trails that aren’t very crowded.
That way, when they see someone coming from the other direction, it is easier to see that it’s safe to step off the trail to allow 6 feet of space between them and the other hikers.
Now that more rattlesnakes are likely to be out, they said it’s important to look carefully before stepping off the trail, so they often look ahead for the best places to step aside.
The couple is quite familiar with the concept of social distancing.
Sharon is the senior pastor of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church on the northwest side. She and other leaders at St. Mark’s are becoming adept at video services and Zoom video conferencing meetings.
Art, who is retired, was careful to wear a mask when he volunteered at the church and was recovering from a cold a couple of months ago.
Now that masks are harder to find in the stores than toilet paper, we are learning to make our own. There are many how-to videos online with instructions. We recommend the simplest versions using such items as old T-shirts or bandannas for the material.
We can’t control the coronavirus, but we can control our safety, at least in part. So stay home, except for forays on hiking trails.
Keep your distance from others and offer a cheery word instead of touching.
And spare a thought or prayer for such people as health-care workers and grocery store workers who must be in contact with others.
Being smarter in 2020: Songs to sing while washing your hands
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Beat the Coronavirus by following these washing instructions while singing one of your favorite songs. Go to washyourlyrics.com
How many times have you heard you should wash your hands frequently, and for at least 20 seconds? In these days of coronavirus fears, it’s even more important than ever.
How long is 20 seconds?
No one puts a stopwatch near the bathroom sink, and if they did, it would be a germ factory like everything else because you’d have to start it before you wash.
So you sing a song. Kids are often taught to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “Baa Baa Black Sheep” or the “A-B-C” song. They all use the same tune and take about 20 seconds.
You can also sing “Happy Birthday” twice. Either way, you’re likely to get sick of these ditties.
Never fear. There are plenty of other ear worms — um, we meant songs — that have 20-second choruses.
You can choose a different one each day.
“Africa,” by Toto, has a chorus that’s about 20 seconds: It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you / There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do / I bless the rains down in Africa / Gonna take some time to do the things we never had / Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you.
— Written by David F. Paich and Jeffrey T. Porcaro.
“Stayin’ Alive,” by the BeeGees, works and it’s rhythm is also perfect for CPR:
Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother / You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive / Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’ / And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive / Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive / Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive.
— Written by the BeeGees.
If you’re a child of the 1970s, try a little “Dancing Queen,” by ABBA: You are the dancing queen/ Young and sweet / Only seventeen / Dancing queen / Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah/ You can dance/ You can jive/ Having the time of your life/ Ooh, see that girl/ Watch that scene/ Dig in the dancing queen.
— Written by Benny Andersson, Bjoern K. Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson.
If those don’t work for you, try the choruses of Prince’s “Raspberry Beret,” Beyoncé’s “Love on Top,” or Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
And, yes, there are newer songs that work as well, but we all need something we know well.
“Bear Down, Arizona” takes closer to 30 seconds, but there’s nothing wrong with a little extra washing.
Nerds can hum the Star Wars Imperial March or recite the opening speech to Star Trek: “Space, the final frontier…” — if you’re a Trekkie, you know it by heart.
Just remember to sing (even if you are only singing in your head) in the rhythm you’ve heard the song as performed by the artist; don’t just recite the words quickly.
If you have a favorite song you’d prefer to wash to, you’re in luck. An enterprising man named William Gibson has adapted a graphic from the World Health Organization and combined it with song lyrics from Genius.
Go to washyourlyrics.com, put in the name of the song you want and the artist, and you’ll get a downloadable hand-washing poster with the song lyrics beneath each picture.
They last a bit longer than 20 seconds because they include turning on and off the water — off with your elbow — and drying your hands with paper towels.
It’s not perfect, but it’s close enough for cleanliness. We tried it successfully with “Yesterday,” by The Beatles, and “We Will Rock You,” by Queen. Maybe it even works with “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
Being smarter in 2020: A century ago another virus had Tucsonans wearing masks
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A Red Cross nurse wearing a “flu” mask.
Teachers often quote, “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” That may have evolved from a quote of George Santayana, philosopher and novelist, who said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” but that isn’t the point.
A look at the archives of the Arizona Daily Star shows a time when the wearing of masks to mitigate the spread of infection was mandatory in Tucson, public gathering places were closed and Tucsonans were advised to avoid crowds at all costs and to stay 6 feet away from each other outside the home.
The subject, of course, was the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918, that most historians say lasted at least until 1920.
That two-year span may give those of us frantic for human contact reason to moan.
An article in the Star on Oct. 10, 1918, tells of the acting Tucson mayor ordering churches, movie theaters, schools and pool rooms closed. The order reads:
“Owing to the fact that there is present in Tucson what appears to be the beginning of an epidemic of Spanish influenza, as a protection to the public health, we hereby order you to close your place of business.
“By order of ‘MEADE CLYNE,’ City Health Officer.
“In compliance with above order, as acting mayor, I hereby declare for the public health and safety until further notice is given that the following places of business will be closed to the public:
“Churches of all denominations.
“Public and private schools.
“Moving picture houses.
“Pool rooms and other places of amusement where people congregate.
“This is in accordance with the orders of the surgeon general of the United States and also the superintendent of health, together with the city health.
“I urge upon every person, above named places of assemblage and all ministers of the gospel to strictly observe this request.
“We are not only fighting the enemy abroad, but also the enemy at home.
“In order to conserve all our forces and resources it becomes a necessity for each and every one to observe this request.
“A. C. BERNARD,
“Acting Mayor.”
Tucsonans were ordered to wear masks when going out in public downtown, enforceable by police beginning Nov. 23, 1918. “Policemen will be stationed in every street by which the downtown district may be reached,” the Star stated.
Read PDFs of articles on the Spanish flu epidemic from the Arizona Daily Star by going to tucson.com/morguetales
Johanna Eubank
Online producer
