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I think Ron’s post above is very good. There’s a lot of hygiene theatre going around these days, and it is just that, cleaning everything is not going to protect you. For the most part it’s a waste of energy.

Spoggles, a baseball cap/beanie, and an N99 if you can get one. So long as you keep those on the whole time there's really no way you can contract it. I mean think about it, this is basically all doctors have when they're doing highly invasive procedures to patients with a massive viral load in a ward that's riddled with it.

The main problem is after you're done, and this is where doctors often make mistakes and contract it, you have to be very careful to fully sanitise your hands before you touch your mask/goggles/hat to remove them. Essentially you need to consider everything outside of your goggles/mask as infected, including the outside of them. So ziplock bag for goggles/mask/hat. At this point there's a small possibility of some being on your clothes, no bother, don't touch them or your face until you get home and have a shower. Home, wash spoggles thoroughly with soapy water, bin mask, clothes/hat in washing machine @60, shower, done. I leave my tools/bag/jacket in an area I consider a red zone, and just leave them there (I don’t think it’s worth that hassle of disinfecting everything, just consider them infected and work around that).

Nightmare isn’t it, but it is possible to be extremely safe.

Definitely a nightmare. Since, even some doctors contract covid and die from it even with protection on.
That's the big question. How daring are you because there's still a chance you get it with protection.
heck I'm going thru a root canal. Office has plastic on things but never see how often it's cleaned. They take temp.
A/C running. Off with your mask while another patient is in next room. Cross fingers but no choice with bad tooth.

Personally I haven't tuned since March but need the money. So might venture out if no ones there with windows open.

I also used to teach in home piano lessons. Now online. Making it thru a fall/winter sitting next to a student without catching something is rare for me every year. So I decided no in home lessons, too risky.
Even though I'm getting calls for that from parents. Just about all of my competition is doing online lessons it seems.

I'm in my 60's. Run and bike. I ask myself what money made is worth possibly being on renal dialysis, heart problems etc.

Unless you are in poor health otherwise you have a 98%+ chance of complete recovery. I have had it. 4 days total discomfort I have had the flu in the past way, way, way worse. And I am prone to respiratory complications. The odds are in your favor by a long shot.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

No no, if you're in your 60s, try to avoid it. Too many stories of too many previously healthy people who got serious health issues. Keep on running and biking!

It is the random/roulette aspect of this bug that makes it worth taking seriously. No matter your age or condition, an infection can result in no symptoms, or a few days of being uncomfortable like Peter, all the way up to a lengthy hospital stay ending in death and a big medical bill left for your familiy - if you live in the US.

Ron Koval

Yes, but the point I was making is that doctors only get it when they make a mistake, the stress they are under at times is insane, besides lack of sleep, and they're working in environments with a huge viral load due to invasive procedures...absolutely incomparable to going in to the house of someone who even has a moderate conditon...

I have a friend who absails into highly toxic environments where one mistake will kill you, all he has is a respirator and goggles and the procedure before and afterwards...the difference is they're under no stress, and nothing is rushed, accidents are extremely rare...fwiw, we were both wearing masks and safety glasses in February just going to the shops, and have done since...

My point is in the relatively speaking calm situation of going in to someone's house, to tune a piano, you can get it right every time, to the extent you're probably more likely to die in a car accident on the way home...that is not to say one should gamble with the virus itself, no way, just making the point that it is something you can very safely work around with the right procedure and protection...

It's important to understand all this hygiene theatre and social distancing isn't going to protect you as an individual...check this study, droplets can travel eight metres: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2763852 ...feel safe going for a run or a cycle around people now?

It's worth understanding that things you might think are safe, may not be actually that safe, and things that you might think are dangerous, can be made safe. The "guidelines" are there to reduce transmission in the population on the whole; to protect yourself is a different matter...but it can be done.

Experts generally agree at this point that SARS-COV-2 is not going to 'go away'...it will stay around like most other viruses perpetually. The length of time that effective immunity can be generated (either infection and recovery, or a true vaccine) will largely dictate how long it will remain a "problem". Remember that several "common cold' viruses are also coronaviruses, although not with the ease of infection rate of SARS-COV-2.

Now, an ineffective vaccine (IOW one that requires boosters or simply does not give true immunity) will in fact exacerbate the problem due to a false sense of security as well as the difficulty in getting people to submit to second (or more) dose. And let's not forget that deliberate misinformation coming from sources that have a different agenda can cause rush work that fulfills a promise, but does not actually deliver the goods.

So...the point is that you can wear the mask, stay 6 ft apart, sterilize your surroundings as much as you want...but in the end you are simply delaying the inevitable...infection. Yes, if it's here to stay it is only a matter of time before one gets infected. It's just the nature of viruses. There may be a small percentage that actually avoids it, but reality dictates that that group will be small over a several year down of time.

Yes, I wear a mask...primarily because (even though I know I am not a carrier) others around me do not know that nor perhaps woukd they believe me if I tell them, therefore out of respect for that fact I comply with the guidelines mandated. But if they are not wearing a mask and they don't mind that for me, I take it off.

BTW, I'm 62 and normally acquire respiratory complications with virtually any virus, however I have noticed improvement in this area since I have greatly reduced consumption of meat and (esp) dairy products. No, I'm not vegan, but I have significantly cut back on these and have noticed a significant reduction in tooth decay (plaque) as well as my recovery time to a virus. My 4 day experience with Covid-19 was typical of this.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

After infection we are not perpetually immune. This Corona Virus has nothing to do
with a common cold .it is far more lethal and infectious., blood clots , kidney failure,
one's health may be permanently damaged .

Absolutely true for those already having those issues. And in fact some may not even know they have an underlying issue or two. As I understand it, since it attacks the lungs, and the lungs supply oxygen to the body, any crippling of lung function will reduce blood supply to vital organs, which if already compromised, will begin to fail, which subsequently leads to death unless the virus activity can be suppressed. "Cold" viruses generally don't do this. Even the flu, though often affecting the lungs as well, doesn't have the destructive power of this, though it often leads to pneumonia in elderly patients, and frequently death.

If I have anything wrong in the above I accept correction.

Peter Grey Piano Doctor

This is a "Novel" Coronavirus. That makes the range of individual response to exposure and infection wider than other known Corona viruses. The fatality rate is significantly higher than cold viruses or the flu. The range of complications is wider too. It is very easy to spread by carriers. This much we know.

If the present rate of infection continues in the USA, the UW Seattle has projected nearly 500,000 deaths from Covid 19 into next year. That is a lot of dead people.

This thread has gotten really long, and I haven't looked through the whole thing, so sorry if this has been answered. Peter - So were you tested for Covid-19?

This is correct. Never touch anything ever again. Other people = lava.

I'll throw in my opinions and thoughts on Covid.
Statistically its a nothing burger, and the old addage "There is nothing to fear, but fear itself" applies. For example, even though the numbers are being hyped into the stratosphere, some truth can still be discerned. Here in Tennessee for example, there are 6.8 million people, and 1,500 so called Covid deaths. Thats .024%. Put another way, that is less than 1/4 of 1/10 of 1%. A real pandemic is or was considered over 1%. The Spanish Flu in 1918 was close to 2%. So again, Covid is a statistical nothingburger.
Sanitation: The best element for killing bacteria and viruses in Chlorine. Chlorine bleach is poisonous, but its not the only type of Chlorine. What determines whether Chlorine is poisonous or not is what its made with. And there are several processes to make it. What the Pharma agencies don't want people to know about is Chlorine Dioxide. Perfectly safe to drink. It will kill any virus or bad bacteria it comes into contact with in your body. In fact, its used around the world to purify drinking water. Its chemistry is fascinating. The human body operates at a voltage of 1.28 volts, bacteria and viruses are at lower voltages so the CLO2 Ions are attracted to them and oxidize them, thus kills them. I have been drinking it for 2 years now and have never been sick during that time. So far I have noticed it removes tooth aches too. I made it into a spray, and I carry it with me to sanitize anything I want. Do your research on it if you want more info, but you'll have to be brave enough to get past the FDA censors. Yes, its safe for keyboards too.
-chris

Chris
The incidence of Covid might be low in TN but that is not true in many US states and many parts of the world. It is not being overhyped for many of us.

Dogperson,
It's simple math, check it out for yourself. World population is 7.6 Billion, current Covid deaths is 884 thousand. That is about 1/100 of 1%. The hype is through the media and corruption using false positive case counts and labeling many other diseases Covid.

-chris

This a futile conversation. I check the math everyday, not just for deaths but serious cases and infection rates.

Those of you who tune customers’ pianos these days, are you or your customers concerned about the sanitation of the keys beforehand or afterwards?

Yes, but that is 884 thousand deaths from 27 million cases i.e. about 1 person in 30 dying of it. We really, really don't want the rest of those 7.6 billion people to catch it or we are looking at hundreds of millions of deaths.

We also have to take into account that America is Unique in that we have 70% overweight population and 40% Obese, and nearly 20% of children are obese.

Essentially it's like we're Bulbasaur, and Covid is Charmander, His attacks are super effective.