Protect thyself

The virus shows no signs of abating and has yet to reach its peak, according to scientists. The question is how to keep yourself from getting it and how not to spread it, in case you are a carrier. A few suggestions:

Wash your hands but wash them correctly

Just dousing your hands with water doesn’t count as washing. Rubbing soap on them absent-mindedly then washing them doesn’t do the trick either. As reported by CNN, the CDC released a guide on hand-washing because the virus has proven just how little we know about washing our hands properly. Aside from lathering them thoroughly with soap and making sure you get your nails, the back of your hand and the in-betweens of your fingers, you also need to wash them for a good 20 seconds. Pro-tip: you can hum “Happy Birthday” twice to get the timing right. Or sing the chorus of Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved if you like to mix pain and being hygienic.

Use your own cutlery and straws

Sharing cutlery is common in canteens or public eateries all around. If we’re trying to be careful about where our hands have been, we should be extra careful about what goes into our mouths. If you’re someone like me who frequents the office canteen, it’s better to use your own cutlery so you’re assured of putting your own germs into your mouth (that’s a picture, isn’t it?). If straws are stored in the open-air then there’s a possibility someone may have sneezed or coughed nearby so it’s better to have your own.

Starbucks has recently announced they’re selling their own brand of reusable straws that you can hang on your keychain for B250, as well as their own cutlery set, which you get free for a minimum purchase of B400.

Don’t buy masks

Yes, you read that right. Apologies to the Thai Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul, but his outburst on “f***ing farangs” not wearing masks was for nothing. If you are healthy and aren’t coughing or sneezing, you don’t need to wear a mask. “Better safe than sorry”, you say? Well, the problem is that masks are in short supply and you’re depriving those who really need them, like the doctors and nurses caring for those infected. It also keeps you from falling into the scam of buying recycled masks. Of course, this no mask alert is about Covid-19. The pollution in Bangkok — that’s another matter.