It occurred to me I haven’t heard folks talking about etiquette in the time of COVID, so I decided to jot down my thoughts on the subject.

We traveled to Canada for our sons wedding, possibly we might not have gone back this year if it wasn’t for his wedding. Travelling gave me a unique perspective on life, in three countries… thru a pandemic! I never expected to consider this nor write about such a reality. Pre-COVID seems like eons ago. Everybody has opinions on how others are handling IT, including themselves, and what they (and everyone else) should be doing differently.

The conversations as to whether it’s real or not drive me wild. I’m weary of folks sending me conspiracy theories. If you’re an anti-masker quit reading now.

Talk of vaccines is rampant in each country, “Do you believe?” “Would you get it?” “Is it too soon?” “Can it be trusted?” “When will it be available”

As are most, we have been greatly affected due to laws, rules, and restrictions. As the area, we summer in is in Washington state, close to the British Columbia border we went there first knowing – as Canadian citizens – we would be allowed into Canada. This did mean, however, that until the border is reopened, we cannot return to our precious summer home which typically means we pop back and forth visiting family and friends on both sides of the border all summer long. We are blessed with a family who had a quarantine location and others who had space for us to lay our heads; eight different beds over six weeks had me waking up daily wondering “Where am I this morning?”.

Having endured the fourteen-day Canadian quarantine I can honestly ‘rant’ that I think it’s insane… especially when we’ve been doing everything correctly since we learned about the pandemic, that date was March 12^th. Having said that I believe ‘we’re all rookies at this’:, government officials, we lay folks, all of us and everyone is doing the best they know to do given what’s happening the world over. So, thru my distress, I follow the rules, in all countries, as I truly do believe everyone is doing their best.

Thus far my experience is that the area I live in, Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico, is following the strictest rules. A breakdown of what I’ve noticed.

• Washington State has a mandatory mask law – Bravo!! There are abundant opportunities to get tested, which we did not take advantage of as we didn’t trust that it would be accepted in Canada. We self-quarantined for 14 days at our cabin so knew we were safe.
• British Columbia has a mandatory 14-day quarantine law. We did NOT get our temperatures taken when we arrived into Canada. VERY strict, at the border we were advised if we did not follow quarantine rules, we could be fined up to one million dollars and up to three years in jail. No Bueno, so we adhered 100% to the letter of the law. I totally understand that given some folks can’t be trusted the rest of us need to be on house arrest, (I do). Having said that, we were in the beautiful mountains and would have liked to go hiking but that was not allowed. That piece troubles me. If there ever was a wakeup call for us to be the healthiest we can be it is NOW! Sitting for two weeks is not healthy. I did exercise for an hour a day but, still, there was a whole lot of doing nothing. BC does not have a mandatory mask law, which surprised me as they promote social distancing. Mask wearing has been proven to be the most effective means of stopping the spread. As I understand it getting testing is not available unless one is sick. My temperature was taken only once in six weeks.
• Mexico – or at least our area of Mexico, has mandatory mask-wearing and requests self-quarantine and social distancing. Everywhere we go – restaurants, supermarkets, chiropractors, dentists, etc. they take our temperature, have us walk thru a sanitizing mat, put hand sanitizer in our hands, and at the supermarket and most restaurants they sanitize the cart/tables in front of us, confirming sanitation. Getting tested, as I understand it, is available at an affordable rate. I recently learned that some airports are taking blood tests upon arrival that are 97% accurate – I have not fact-checked that.

I did not get my temperature taken at all in Canada (except getting on to Aeromexico flight) yet have been back 6 days and have had my temperature taken at least 10 times – 6 thru airports; 4 at grocery stores.

https://www.facebook.com/LaPeskaLaCruz/videos/1451195988603221/

I was crazed traveling north and possibly overdid my safety but at the time it made me feel safe. On my return to Mexico, I only wore my mask and washed and sanitized my hands often.

My COVID etiquette synopsis, wherever you are:

RESPECT others and their choices. Remember we’re all rookies at this! Other general suggestions to STOP the spread beginning with being thoughtful on how you conduct yourself.

• Stay home (avoid others) if sick.
• Logical distance – it seems all countries ask for 2-meter distancing.
• Wear masks when with/near others.
• Wash hands often.
• Use tongs/spoons to serve yourself.
• Tip nuts/seeds/candies from the bowl into your hand – no fingers in the bowl.
• Pour sauce onto your plate and dip from there – no community dipping
• Shake chips/snacks from the bag onto your plate and enjoy from there – no hands in the bag.
• Hug if both parties are wearing masks – may not be the rule but given EVERYTHING I’ve heard… I believe that’s safe.
• Let the ‘littles’ hug your leg, then bend down to embrace them, if they’re not wearing a mask. A teacher taught me this.
• Wash masks often.
• Visit outdoors. In Mexico, that’s easier given the warm temperatures but as friends recently believe they caught COVID in an airconditioned space where all were eating without masks, I prefer to be outside. BTW my friends recovered.
• If indoors, I understand, a maximum of six (6) people is best.
• Have logical conversations with others, we can all learn from our friends when we listen respectfully.

This is how we socialize these days…

• We ask our guests to bring and serve their own drinks.
• We serve hot food that folks serve themselves.
• We visit outside with intelligent distancing!

Do something nice for a friend, a neighbor, yourself.

Be Kind, Be Generous, BE LOVE… stay healthy!

You can get Covid Travel Insurance here.

Are flights safe… apparently they are?