Hello, drivers out there in the midst of this pandemic. Hello, America’s blacktop backbone. Hello, hard-working heroes who keep bringing us all the toilet paper, rice, and trampolines we’ve impulsively bought in order to survive these next few weeks at home.
We hope this is the hundredth time you’ve heard the advice we have to give. We hope you’re already following it. But we feel we aren’t doing our part unless we put it out there, too.
1. Wash your hands. A clever PSA video put it this way: “Wash your hands like you just cut a hot pepper and now you want to put on contact lenses.” Another helpful way to put it might be to sing “The ABCs” song all the way through. The dirty little secret about the coronavirus is that it’s just as weak to good old soap and warm water as the next germ. Practice good washing-up habits (thorough and often, like your mama taught you), and you’ll stay one step ahead.
2. “Social distancing.” This is a fancy way of saying don’t shake hands, stand next to people, or accept free hugs from strangers. You already shouldn’t do that last one, but staying out of breathing and touching range is an easy way to keep from catching what other people might have. Truckers already have a convenient way to accomplish social distancing: their job.
Even though truckers go a lot of places, they are mostly isolated from other people while driving. The only time you’re likely to be close to other people is at home and at stops along the road. When you stop, stay safe and at a distance.
3. If you get sick, see Tip #2. Social distancing goes two ways. It keeps healthy people away from sick people and sick people away from healthy people. The point of this isn’t to keep yourself from getting sick, necessarily. You might get sick even if you follow these tips. And if you get sick, you shouldn’t give up trying to keep your distance from people.
The worst problem with the coronavirus isn’t how bad it is but how quickly and easily it spreads. It may not affect you badly, but if you can keep from giving it to someone who may not be so healthy, you’re potentially saving someone’s life.
There really isn’t much more to it. Right now, we need truckers to keep healthy and keep up the good work. Thank you for what you do and what you’ve been doing all along.
