Disclaimer: Information changed quickly in the early days of Covid-19 (then known as Corona virus).
Please forgive comments that now seem lacking in, uh, judgement and/or empathy.
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There are certain jobs where you go to work in tough times.If you're an ER doctor you don't stay home because there's been a big disaster. If you're a fire fighter you don't stay home because there've been a lot of wildfires and it's smoky outside. If you're a mail carrier you don't let a little, rain, sleet, or dark of night get in your way.
And, if your job is to help people get where they need to go you don't stop doing it because of scary times. Not if there have been terrorists flying your colleagues and customers into buildings-not if there are germs lurking everywhere. You just go to work.
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On my last trip we got a large group of kids, and their chaperones (Who were still very upbeat and pleasant-heaven help those brave souls!) back home from a "week-long" trip to D.C. ("A three hour tour...").
We had passengers who'd been on business trips who needed to get home.
We had people who'd checked in for their cruises...and then been sent away because the cruises cancelled.
Their families wanted them to be home. They wanted to be home. The FAA requires there be crew on the plane that gets them home.
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| May I get you something to drink, Ma'am? |
So, what do you do?
If you're in overall good health, you go to work. If you're not a primary care-giver to someone elderly, very ill, or young children, you go to work. In short: if you can do it...you do.
I could do it, I have done it, and so have my coworkers. It's our job. It's not just about the glamour (ha ha - most of us are still looking for that elusive angle of the job) it's about transporting people from Point A to Point B as safely and pleasantly as possible.
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So: I washed my hands a million times. I tried not to touch my face. I avoided as much as possible (i.e. not very much avoiding is possible) touching surfaces others were touching. I touched only the bottoms of cups. I wore gloves when picking up trash, and arming and disarming doors. I drank a lot of water. I took my vitamins and made every effort to exercise, eat well, and get plenty of sleep.
Pretty much like every single day of my work life. Because that's what I do for a living.
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Then I came home, and I stayed there...until it was time to go back to work.
This is the only real difference for me., as with everyone else these days. There's a need to avoid spreading the disease. But, for anyone working in airports, and especially on airplanes; we have always carried passengers that are coming and going from all points of the globe. There's no telling what I get exposed to on any given flight.
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As things grind to a halt there will be less and less people flying so my exposure to germs will
diminish. On some lately the 6' of social distancing is almost an option.
I have been looking at the loads (passengers booked) on flights to various destinations. They are diminishing by the hour. I'm very surprised more flights haven't been cancelled already. I'm guessing that that's coming.
But if my flights run, and there's no change to the information about this virus, I'll be on them. And, no, I'm not particularly worried. From what we know right now, I'd almost like to be exposed to the virus so I can have it, get over it, and be immune. But, of course, right now that's a useless wish because there are no test kits to let me know if I've actually contracted it or not.
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Maybe at some point I will go more than two weeks without being on a flight, or get access to a test kit. Then I might be able to go visit my parents.
For now we're all mastering the fine art of FaceTime calls. (With hilarious results at the moment...I've spent some time looking at the ceiling of my parent's house.) But we'll adjust to this fast enough.
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I hope this passes quickly, but it's not sounding good. A friend with a young daughter said there's a rumor their school district will be closed for the rest of the year.
Anyway, for now, I plan on making the most of my time at home. I'm reminding myself that in normal times my fondest wish is always to come home and stay here. I'm going to enjoy it while I can.
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Here's to health: both physical and mental. May we get through the challenges, and enjoy the good things, that all of the moments of our lives offer!
Hugs. (Non-exposing virtual ones, of course.)
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