Battling Coronavirus: By hook or by crook

It's been reported that the new Coronavirus lives the longest on stainless steel. The virus lasted up to 3 days on steel. Smooth, nonporous surfaces like doorknobs and door-handles are better at carrying viruses in general. A lot can change if you don’t have to touch the doors or the door-handles. In the context of battling the new Coronavirus by hook or by crook, let’s take a look at a Hook first.

Instead of grabbing or touching a door-handle with your bare hand, you may consider using a cloth-hanger hook or any other suitable hook or tool to deal with a door-handle. It's more about the idea than the instrument. And, you may use your leg to push the door; so that, your shoe, and not your skin or hand, comes in contact with the door surface. You may also use your cloth-hanger hook to push a door.

Remember! 

Don’t touch the part of the hook that comes in contact with the door or door-handle. And, that shouldn't be too difficult. Because, even though your habit of touching your face is very strongly established (whether you realize that or not), you don't have yet the habit of touching that particular part of the hook ;-).

Keep the hook sanitized. Apply enough of suitable ‘sanitizer liquid or spray’ to a paper napkin or a handkerchief and keep that handy on your work desk or at your place of work. After the hook is used, wipe it well with that paper napkin or a handkerchief and leave the hook on or wrapped in that paper napkin or handkerchief. Ensure that the paper napkin or handkerchief has got enough sanitizer in it.

How to create a hook? 

The hook in question could be created from any inexpensive throw-away cloth hanger. You may just separate the suitable part of a cloth-hanger to get your hook. You may combine (superimpose) a few ‘cloth-hanger hooks’ with a bit of suitable glue to get a stronger one to deal with heavier doors or trickier door-handles.

Scarcity of tissue papers and sanitizer?

The hook method of dealing with doors is especially useful when there is an evident scarcity of tissue papers. You don't have to replace the paper napkin or handkerchief, which you have applied suitable ‘sanitizer liquid or spray’ to, for a reasonably long time. And, of course, you really don't need a huge amount of sanitizer for this purpose ;-).

In your Pocket or Purse:

You may apply enough of suitable ‘sanitizer liquid or spray’ to a paper napkin or a handkerchief and keep that in your pocket or purse. That would be of help to store or wipe the hook while you are on the move.

How about a Shoelace?

If you are not able to get a hook or a hook doesn't work for you, how about a shoelace? You may apply enough of suitable ‘sanitizer liquid or spray’ to a thick and strong shoelace and use that to deal with door-handles. You will easily get the hang of it once you try it a couple of times.

Protection at the Point of Contact:

You may also consider keeping the door-handles covered with suitable tissue or paper napkin or other similar absorbent material and applying enough of suitable ‘sanitizer liquid or spray’ to that. So that, (a) when you deal with the door-handles, you touch a sanitized surface and (b) the door-handle surface, on which the virus reportedly lives the longest, is not exposed to a direct touch-based contamination. You will be needed to ensure that the tissue or paper napkin or other similar absorbent material on the door-handles has got enough sanitizer in it. And, you may not have to replace that tissue or paper napkin or other similar absorbent material very frequently.

Ensure food safety and hygiene:

Do everything possible, including cooking animal products really thoroughly, to ensure food safety and hygiene.

Your strongest Line of Defence:

This is very important! Do everything possible to boost your immune system and maintain it in its best possible condition.

Every little helps. Behave sensibly. Wash your hands, avoid touching your face and maintain social distancing. Take care and stay safe. Together, we will win this battle; and shall not lose the war.