We have been getting a lot of questions about what to do now that the US has declared a national emergency in response to the Corona Virus or Covid-19. As RVers we are actually a few steps ahead of others based on government recommendations. As of this writing China’s rate of infection has dropped significantly due to practices of isolating those infected and we have an advantage with our RVs. 

Slowing the spread of the virus helps our health care system remain best able to cope with the minority of people who have contracted it. For many who do come down with the virus they’ll be able to ride out the infection on their own with no professional medical care, but that’s not true of everybody. For those with underlying conditions medical attention is going to be their best option and, let’s be honest, there are only so many medical treatment professionals to go around and some of those will go off line as they recover themselves. 

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending that people do not travel at this time but that isn’t a reality at all for those living full time in their RVs, which is a good number of the people who read this blog. 

However where RVers are ahead is that we’re able to quarantine better and change our location while still being isolated from others. In fact, many of us were working remotely long before it became the “in” thing to do. 

Furthermore some RVers have already established the infrastructure to work directly from their RVs which is quickly becoming an option for others. 

Here are a few tips gleaned from various places around the web. 

Wash Your Hands

We know that’s been stated everywhere but it’s true. As someone who came from the food service industry this was a key to keeping people healthy as customers and kept me out of sick beds as well.
A little tip is to sing “happy birthday” as you wash your hands as that song is about the same length as the recommended amount of hand washing time. Just think of all the people who you can sing a happy birthday to!
When we used to wash our hands a lot at the B&B they used to get chapped and our skin would crack. However we found that Melaleuca Renew lotion was an incredible product for preventing this so our pattern was to use soap and water and then put a bit of Renew on dry hands. That ended the cracking altogether.
We used so much Renew and other Melaleuca products Peggy became a distributor - if you’re interested in learning more you can contact us. 

Social Distancing

What has been proven effective at stopping the rate of spread in China is social distancing - they basically take the people who have been infected and isolate them. What this means is staying away from others, effectively. Government agencies are already recommending or even enforcing large gatherings to be canceled and have recommended that people essentially stay home.
Unfortunately this also means that if someone’s infected with the disease and they head home, the rest of the occupants of that home will also likely be infected. In China they’ve basically whisked those who are infected off to places of isolation. Even here in the US, Peggy’s great Aunt Pat was on the ship that wasn’t allowed to dock, and once it docked the passengers have been kept in isolation at a local military base until they get the all-clear. 

Greetings

Find a different way of greeting people than a hand shake or hug. This is tough for us because we hug almost everybody (usually they like it, I hope). But now here are a bunch of alternatives, some funny, for the traditional hand shake:

Tanks

Keep fresh tanks full and waste tanks empty. Truthfully the best way to hunker down might be in an RV park. This won’t force you to seek a place to get fresh water or dump your wastewater tanks. The last thing you want to have to do is venture out if you’re feeling ill. 

Let others know

We’ve talked about using various social media and other digital platforms to keep in contact with others and this would be the time to let those trusted insiders know if you’re at all suffering with this. If you do happen to come down with even a cold, it might be good to let others know with a small sign on the door of your rig. 

Be a good neighbor

If you know of someone who may be in the higher-risk categories who might be camped near you and you’re in good health or more able, perhaps watching out for them and also helping them with things like shopping or other needs is a way to be a good neighbor.

As I write this we just got notified that a large RV gathering with an expected attendance of thousands of RVers (including us) has been canceled, and others are canceling as well.

We wish all the best of health and good luck with this moving forward. With best practices and a bit of deliberate attention to hand washing and not touching one’s face, the long-term effects of this might be mitigated. 

Most of all stay updated with geniune information which comes from the Center For Disease Control (CDC). A lot of what is being spread on social media is malarkey and adds to the nervousness that comes naturally with this kind of outbreak.