Soapbox: Mr. President, Joe, Bernie, stop shaking hands to show us what health care really is
Love to our neighbors
Our first thoughts this morning are with the suburban patients who are dealing with coronavirus infections. It brings the reality of this epidemic close to home, We wish them the best and pray for their full recoveries.
The soap from our Soapbox
Being that soap is one of the biggest weapons against the epidemic, it is only fitting that we devote today's Soapbox to thoughts and reminders on the public health threat.
The Hippocratic oath
Thanks to the health care professionals who are the first responders on the COVID-19 front lines, at no small risk to themselves. We owe them a great debt.
The time for role models
Public servants, like all leaders. are role models. Politicians, imagine the impact you can have for good if you just stop shaking hands? If you stop, others will too. It won't just limit the spread of the coronavirus, but of cold and flu viruses and bacteria, too.
This matters
It's tough to break traditions, and shaking hands dates back more than 2,500 years. But if we can break that habit, it will make a difference in the spread of disease. In other words, it will make a difference in people's lives. It matters.
Lead us, Mr. President
Donald Trump, show all the people who follow you that shaking hands is unhealthy.
Lead us, Joe
You, too, Joe Biden. You already promised to stop inappropriate touching. Well, in the age of the coronavirus, shaking hands is inappropriate.
Lead us, Bernie
You too, Bernie Sanders. Talk about health care! Talk about a revolution! An end to handshakes would be both.
It isn't all about you
One thing all of us need to remember: Poor antiviral hygiene doesn't just endanger us. It endangers our families, too. And our friends. And those we work with. In fact, poor anti-viral hygiene endangers everyone we interact with.
Obligations, obligations
Think about this. The current pandemic started in one spot in Wuhan, China. Now, it is all around the globe. How did it get around the globe? People passed it around. We have a duty not just to ourselves, but to everyone we know. Practice good antiviral hygiene.
Keep 'em clean
One habit to create to help protect against getting or transmitting the coronavirus: It's a good old, vigorous, hot-soap-and-water, prepping-for-surgery hand washing. Regularly. And certainly, before and after meals, before and after using a rest room.
A new fight song
A Barrington High School assembly to cheer the wrestling team's third place state finish opened with the loud broadcast of "Hand Wash Rap" by Andy Horne and a few comments from Principal Steve McWilliams about staying safe from coronavirus. That's a creative way to get the message in front of hundreds of students.
The faceless challenge
The best thing you can do is one of the hardest: Keeping your fingers off your face. "It's very hard to change because you don't even know you're doing it." William Sawyer, founder of Henry the Hand, told The Washington Post.
The faceless priority
Let's underscore this. Retraining yourself to stop touching your face is the most important hygiene step you can take. "It's the one behavior that would be better than any vaccine ever created," Sawyer said. "Just stop this simple behavior. Stop picking, licking, biting, rubbing - it's the most effective way to prevent a pandemic."
Love to our neighbors
Be well.