The new COVID-19 surge taking place across the country has everyone on edge. Add to that the concern over the new strain making the virus more contagious, and it’s natural to be concerned about circumstances that put you in contact with strangers — such as having people come into your home to do work. If you do, home repair safety should be top of mind in all you do.
The rule of thumb you should follow is simple: if the repair is essential to your health and safety, then do it, but do so with caution. If you can live without it, that’s the safest bet. Trust me, this can be inconvenient. At the start of the COVID lockdowns, my dishwasher went caput and the last thing I wanted to do was hand wash every dish every day while cooking and cleaning more than normal. But the reality is I can (and did) live without my dishwasher until the middle of the summer when our numbers were down.
Here’s how you can safely have workers in your home during COVID.
Home repair safety during the new COVID strain
After service is completed: safety precautions at home
Even if the service provider followed all protocols, you’ll probably still want to take the time to sanitize your home. This includes going over all doors, doorknobs, counters, and the items worked on with disinfecting wipes. After all, you can’t control all variables when a stranger enters your home.
“The rub about COVID-19 is that you are spreading the virus while asymptomatic," Amy Baxter, MD at Pain Care Labs told Mom.com, "Thus, there’s really no surefire way to protect your home from someone who is contagious before they come.”
Dr. Baxter recommends that you fully disinfect the area but also notes that opening up the house will be one of your greatest allies to fight to spread the illness. “The virus is spread through respiratory droplets and aerosols. So, after someone has been there, air the house out, open the windows for 15 minutes, and/or run a HEPA filter if you have to be there at the same time,” she said. This helps diffuse any concentration of COVID-19 in your home.
Remember that we must all do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19. This means only having essential work done during this dramatic surge with a new strain. It also means being smart about safety protocol when you do have a worker enter your home.
