COVID 19 - Who are most at risk?

COVID 19 - Who are most at risk?

The highest number of illnesses and death are where people are congregated in close quarters for long periods of time.

Cruise ships carrying tourists through the warm seas of the Mediterranean Sea and of Central America were the first ones noticed in such enclosed settings.  One US Navy aircraft carrier has come to the public's attention.

In America, it has suddenly become a serious problem in homes for the elderly, in jails and prisons, and in manufacturing plants where the workers work side by side.  COVID 19 has also struck the staffs, not just the workers in those tight quarters.  

There are best practices being developed and put into place in these kinds of institutions,

One, NO OUTSIDE VISITORS.  For the duration of the pandemic, friends and neighbors are not being allowed into these places.  

Two, PACKAGES AND MAIL WILL BE LEFT ON THE FRONT PORCH AT THE ENTRY AND THEN PICKED UP AND DELIVERED ONLY BY STAFF.  Family members and delivery persons will no longer deliver to a resident's rooms/cells.

Three, DURING MEALS, ONLY ONE PERSON (OR A MARRIED COUPLE) PER TABLE.  The dining room could be closed at the discretion of the administration and meals delivered to each person in the room/cell by staff.  Factory workers need to eat their lunches six feet apart in designated open spaces in the factory. 

Four, THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS FOR ONSITE SPECIAL ACTIVITIES WILL BE LIMITED TO ALLOW FOR SIX FOOT SEPARATION.

Five, ELEVATORS ARE LIMITED TO NO MORE THAN TWO PERSONS AT A TIME.

Six, THE HEALTH OF ALL WORKERS WILL BE CHECKED WHEN THEY ARRIVE.

Seven, NO RESIDENT MAY LEAVE THE FACILITY.  While jails and prisons should be emptied of all inmates except the most violently dangerous, inmates should have places to live once released.  For residential institutions, no one from the outside should be allowed in. Workers should be checked when they arrive at the facility.  Those who have a temperature or other symptoms should be sent home.  Senior citizens have to stay on their facility grounds maintaining six feet separation for the duration.

Eight, ALL STAFF SHALL WEAR FACE COVERINGS AT ALL TIMES WHEN ON DUTY.   RESIDENTS/INMATES/WORKERS SHALL WEAR FACE COVERINGS WHEN AMONG OTHERS AND ALSO MAINTAIN SIX FOOT SEPARATION.

Nine, WHEN SICK, THE PERSON SHOULD STAY HOME OR IN THEIR ROOMS/CELLS. 

The staffs and workers of all these facilities are vulnerable because they leave the campus and are among the general population.  Having face coverings and keeping social distancing are needed till they get home.  There, they have to be careful about shoes, cleaning hands, and handling their clothes.  

These places rarely have adequate medical staff if a large number of residents/inmates are infected.  Getting help needs to be lined up should the pandemic become an issue.

Older people with diabetes, heart problems, and conditions where their immunity is low are likeliest to be harmed the most by COVID 19.  So precautions like these are critical to their safety and well-being.

Among the general public, younger people with such underlying conditions are also very vulnerable.  As noted elsewhere, everyone of every sort and every age is vulnerable.  No one knows whether they will have an easy case or a hard one of the COVID 19 virus.  It is best to presume you are vulnerable so that you remember to be cautious.  Remember also that you are a child of God and that God will be with you all the way through this ordeal. 

(Disclaimer: I am not a trained medical person, just an observer and reporter.  Doctors and other scientists will give more accurate information as they have a chance.)