Money & Phones: Major COVID-19 Carriers Often Ignored.

As Uganda battles with the second wave of COVID19 pandemic, the public should actively get involved in fighting the pandemic, indeed if the general public joins the battle wholeheartedly the pandemic might soon be history, as studies have shown all along, the virus doesn’t fly from one place to another it is rather carried by the infected ones to negative people, therefore  the back starts and ends with people, the way they behave, move, and conduct themselves in the bid to fight the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19).

A lot has been said on how best the world can get rid of the virus, but there ignored issues and they seem to be super spreaders of the virus, this piece is in the spirit to interest you know the neglected potential spreaders of COVID19 in our communities and homes, perhaps you get to know and take caution. It’s not a point of discussion that at least all homes in Uganda have got a member with a mobile phone or almost all members in some families, some set ups have main table phone which is used by all families or office employees and the likes, these phones when used to call beloved ones to check on them, make business deals, discharge official communications, and all other purposes, its rare more so on individual basis or family, community or same office member to keep on the mask while taking on the phone, this way tiny salivary droplets get on the phone and when another person uses the phone maybe a family member, a friend or workmate may get infected with the virus if the former had the COVID19 more especially if the later also speaks on it without wearing the mask.

Besides that, other members may touch on the phone with droplets of the infected person, and that person touches his or her face, nose, and mouth, this can also infect that person with COVID19 if he or she does not wash hands with soap for over 20 seconds or use a sanitizer thereafter.That’s how far phones have kept on spreading the virus from one person to another, and don’t claim to be safe this way because you use your phone alone, remember young people can use it without your permission, you can assist it with a friend, a family member or workmates and you
too can use another person’s phone in un avoidable circumstances because phones can slip from hands to another very quickly so take caution, above all see how wearing a mask and washing hands, using sanitizer every time are very essential in this battle.

Another unavoidable commodity to use more so in the cashless economy like in Uganda is money since it is the most used measure of value and medium of exchange, the country got coins and paper money of different measure, spare a minute to think how the coins or papers of money you have got to your hands, how many hands did it pass through to reach yours?

• Do you know the status of these people who had that money before you got it?
• Do you know how they conduct themselves in this era of the pandemic?
• When you get it from wherever do mind where you put it?
• Don’t you mix it with small clothes like a handkerchief?
• Don’t you put it in the small bag or pocket with your phone?
• Do you sanitize or wash your hands after receiving money?
• Do you sanitize the money itself anyway?

Now have you released how money might be a great spreader of COVID19 and therefore you need to take caution, and once again do see how washing your hands always and sanitizing can save you from contracting the virus?

This fight against the world pandemic COVID19 should further be advanced to taking a critical look and handling of the all packages used by the public in trade at all levels, a paper where they wrap eatables like a doughnut or anything like a piece of soap from the infected person can spread the virus to another individual, the ′kaveera′ too, a plastic bottle and all sorts of packages for different items should be keenly addressed and the public is advised to wash hands always or sanitize after touching on anything, also to keep on the mask while going to purchase or appearing in the public.

The public should also be interested to take care always if the world is to over the novel COVID19, there is always a false belief among the people living together that they are all safe, remember some people may be silently battling with the disease without showing any symptom, in most settings like family members, village members, workmates, friends and all groupings, when people know each other they behave as if they know where these people spend their time always and how they conduct themselves, when a father, mother, or sister, aunt, brother get home, they no long keep a social distance and masks are always off, not knowing that from where this person has been might have brought the virus home, take caution always, wash hands before touching on anything home, keep the mask on if possible until you alone.

The same applies to workmates in a company or all other business settings, people put off their masks while speaking as friends and workmates thinking that they are safe since they see each other every day, this is wrong, people walk and travel to different places any time, and some don’t stick to wearing of the mask, social distancing and washing hands always, everyone is a potential carrier of the virus now, don’t risk, don’t spare the guard.

Lastly but not the least, don’t forget to sanitize the sanitizer bottle, it looks light but the bottle often is touched on by many people from different places as they sanitize, the public should take caution and sanitize it too, a lot of missing links can be discussed in the fight against COVID19, but I will interest you always not to move away from the three, four, or five widely preached principles in this battle, they are the core in all this war, always mask up, wash your hands all time, sanitize if you can, keep a social distance and stay home if nothing big taking you out.

At this time when the virus has hit all corners of the country, it is our duty as a people to stop negativity, positive message, stories should be published, contracting the virus is not a death sentence, as a matter of fact, the majority of the victims survive the gallons of the virus, fight on with hope and positivity, someday the world will be free from the virus.