Social distancing at the car dealership, in the hospital and at the doctor’s office have much in common.
Masks are worn. Two thirds of the waiting room chairs have been removed. There is tape and stickers on the floor to mark appropriate spots to stand 6 feet away from other people.
Counter-productively, in order to communicate we have to lean close to each other because the the masks and plexiglass screens muffle our voices to an inaudible volume.
Other than nurses, we all are constantly fiddling with our masks in an attempt to make breathing easier – thus opening up huge gaps for microscopic Covid-19 viruses particles to escape and enter.
Conversation is stilted. We sit 10 feet away from each other In chairs spaced ten feet apart. We look with suspicion at every person who coughs as if they are carrying the plague. We wonder if we’ve hand-sanitized enough. We think about every door handle, pen, credit card and touch screen we are forced to use as we struggle to flush toilets with our feet, turn off faucets with our elbows and try to pull doors open with our knees.
I question it all…
…does the employee who lackadaisically swipes off commonly touched surfaces really make a difference?
…am I a misanthrope or an idiot for pulling my mask away from my face so I can take a breath?
…have we abdicated common sense by following “rules” dictated by battling politicians and fear mongering reporters who parrot each other?
I believe that scientific infection control procedures have merit and do work.
But I am just as certain that we cannot live like lab technicians working in a clean room. Our social distancing guidelines and well intentioned actions will not eradicate this virus.
We are kidding ourselves to think otherwise. In the meantime, we are making ourselves and each other playing an unwinnable game of musical chairs.