# what to do to protect from corona **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 9, 2020, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166 "2020-03-09T22:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/41 "2020-03-12T19:56:24Z")
Today I realized that a good alternative to hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes is a paper towel soaked in alcohol and stored in a small ziplock bag in my pocket. I guess it looks like I’m a cheapskate or something, but I don’t care because it’s a good solution for me, for reasons that I won’t go into now for the sake of brevity. The important thing is that, with just a few discreet movements, I slide open the seal, rub my fingertips on the wet paper, zip it closed and put it back in my pocket, and someone standing next to me might not even notice. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/42 "2020-03-12T20:14:18Z")
The problem with #41 is that the stores I’ve visited are all out of rubbing alcohol too. Unless I am to use vodka or such. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/43 "2020-03-12T20:17:28Z")
Yeah, around here, too, and that’s one of the reasons I wasn’t going to go into, this being GQ. Today I found rubbing alcohol at a small store in the neighborhood. How about it you brainiacs: Would vodka work as well? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/44 "2020-03-12T20:57:03Z")
Proof is double abv so whatever spirit you’re using needs to be minimum 120 proof. Most people using hand sanitizer use it wrong anyway and obviate its usefulness. You need to rub the sanitizer all over your hands and keep rubbing til they’re dry. A lot of people do a few quick wipes around their hands and then rinse them off or let them air dry. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/45 "2020-03-12T21:05:23Z")
> [@](#): > > what to do to protect from corona Some would say Dos Equis, but many can’t handle two X’s (on is usually enough). Other say Tacate. Personally, to protect myself from Corona, I advise tequila, and go with the Reposado and/or Anejo gold varieties. That is what I’m planning to do. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/46 "2020-03-12T21:44:54Z")
You guys joke, but Tito’s Vodka actually issued a [press release](https://nypost.com/2020/03/05/titos-vodka-begs-dont-use-alcohol-as-hand-sanitizer-in-coronavirus-outbreak/) to advise that it did not have sufficient alcohol content for sanitizing hands. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/47 "2020-03-12T21:49:33Z")
Thanks. I didn’t notice a thread in IMHO that would have been more appropriate for my plastic-bag story. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/48 "2020-03-12T23:59:47Z")
I was at my mother’s place and her nurse was tell me I should be washing my hands constantly and wiping down door knobs in my place. It occured me it sound absurd and wasteful. OK I mean if I was going out public and/or to my mother’s I could understand washing myself up beforehand. But if I am holed up in my apartment all day **by myself** why I would need to meticulously clean constantly? I mean I live alone so I don’t have contact with anyone who is out in public constantly to be exposed to the virus. Is it really necessary to clean constantly if someone is holed in their residence all day? ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/49 "2020-03-13T06:47:48Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > But if I am holed up in my apartment all day **by myself** why I would need to meticulously clean constantly? I mean I live alone so I don’t have contact with anyone who is out in public constantly to be exposed to the virus. Is it really necessary to clean constantly if someone is holed in their residence all day? For the same reason, you put on a pair of clean underwear each day. If you get killed you won’t gross out the people handling the body. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/50 "2020-03-13T11:30:47Z")
People handling injured/dead bodies really don’t give a damn about the state of your underwear. You put on clean underwear everyday because it’s good personal hygiene, so you’re not stewing in your own funk. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/51 "2020-03-13T17:52:26Z")
> [@Carryon](#): > > For the same reason, you put on a pair of clean underwear each day. If you get killed you won’t gross out the people handling the body. I am not talking about normal cleaning or changing of clothes; my mom’s nurse made it sound like I should be scrubbing my own apartment down daily with alcohol based cleaners and/or bleach i.e. wiping door knobs daily and such. Basically “sterilizing” everything in my place; I do clean regularly but I don’t want my small one bedroom apartment reaking of bleach and cleaner. So I am not going to scrub everything in my apartment repeatedly with harsh cleaners instead just wiping everything with a sponge and soapy water. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/52 "2020-03-13T18:01:26Z")
So all schools here in Ohio are out, people aren’t allowed on the computers (I am on a stand up) yet the Casino is open. priorities. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/53 "2020-03-13T19:51:56Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > On top of it, you really don’t want your immune system to be TOO strong, or you’ll get autoimmune disorders. Sorry, just had to correct this. Autoimmune disorders are not a case of a too-strong immune system; they’re a case where an immune system is unable to effectively fight true threats because it keeps attacking the body. The forces are divided, not multiplied. A person without an autoimmune disorder isn’t going to get one by beefing up her immune system. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/54 "2020-03-13T20:00:00Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > I am not talking about normal cleaning or changing of clothes; my mom’s nurse made it sound like I should be scrubbing my own apartment down daily with alcohol based cleaners and/or bleach i.e. wiping door knobs daily and such. Basically “sterilizing” everything in my place; I do clean regularly but I don’t want my small one bedroom apartment reaking of bleach and cleaner. So I am not going to scrub everything in my apartment repeatedly with harsh cleaners instead just wiping everything with a sponge and soapy water. Please take the nurse’s word for this. She’s getting this from the CDC. Yes, you live alone (as do I), but every time you leave your apartment, you’re touching surfaces that may be contaminated, then contaminating your own apartment when you return. The COVID-19 virus can remain on hard surfaces for at least 9 hours. If you touch those surfaces and touch your face, you may get the virus and pass it along to your mother when you visit even if you have no symptoms. Washing your hands and using hand sanitizer are excellent steps, but they don’t prevent your hands from picking up germs a couple of minutes later. (Most hand sanitizers protect for only 2 minutes after application.) ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/55 "2020-03-14T00:34:37Z")
Interesting point on what you can do if you’re going completely nuts indoors, from a [Guardian article](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/13/coronavirus-and-social-distancing-is-it-risky-to-go-to-the-pub-or-gym) here: > [@](#): > > Also, there is no evidence that the virus can live in chlorinated water. “It’s true that when you’re swimming, water is swirling in and out of your nose and mouth, but this is a respiratory virus. The current thinking appears to be that Sars-Cov-2 won’t survive if water is properly chlorinated,” said Jenny Rohn, a cell biologist at University College London. > > Changing rooms also have a degree of built-in social distancing, with people separated into cubicles or at least leaving a decent amount of room for others to get changed. “Swimming is one of the things I feel quite comfortable with at the moment,” said Rohn. I’d welcome knowledgeable people’s opinion on whether this seems sensible ---
**Author:** ![LAZombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b38774/32.png) [@LAZombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LAZombie)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/56 "2020-03-14T13:16:46Z")
I’ve read that increasing humidity will protect you. In low humidity, your body is more susceptible to an infection through dried out nasal passages. However, I read at least one study refutes this idea. Some virologists believe that the masks are effective against viruses by merely increasing your own personal nasal humidity. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/57 "2020-03-14T13:21:43Z")
My thought is that it’s too early for anyone to know anything like that as a positive fact. What you describe are guess/hypothesis, not fact. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/58 "2020-03-14T16:34:21Z")
I saw a decent study showing that you are less likely to get various other infections in more humid air, though. And I have seen articles about why the flu is more common in winter in part because of the dry air. So it seems pretty plausible, even though it obviously hasn’t been studied in COVID-19 yet. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2020, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/60 "2020-05-13T08:56:10Z")
Reported spam (Post #59). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166/62 "2020-05-24T03:16:36Z")
Spam/phony cure reported. ( **codebris** ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-to-protect-from-corona/849166.md?page=2)