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The new COVID-19 surge taking place across the country has everyone on edge. Add to that the concern over the new strain making the virus more contagious, and it’s natural to be concerned about circumstances that put you in contact with strangers — such as having people come into your home to do work. If you do, home repair safety should be top of mind in all you do.
The rule of thumb you should follow is simple: if the repair is essential to your health and safety, then do it, but do so with caution. If you can live without it, that’s the safest bet. Trust me, this can be inconvenient. At the start of the COVID lockdowns, my dishwasher went caput and the last thing I wanted to do was hand wash every dish every day while cooking and cleaning more than normal. But the reality is I can (and did) live without my dishwasher until the middle of the summer when our numbers were down.
Here’s how you can safely have workers in your home during COVID.
Home repair safety during the new COVID strain
You can’t always control when you need repairs, but home repair safety has never been more important. If you need to have a worker come into your home, make sure you properly vet that service repairman before they come. This is especially true with the new COVID strain causing surges around the country, that is reportedly easier to transmit.
Call the service provider and ask what safety precautions are in place. Some companies will ask about the work to determine if it’s truly essential. Earlier this year I wasn’t able to get my air conditioning serviced because it wasn’t deemed essential and the company didn’t want to risk anyone’s health.
Some companies will have more protocols in place than others that might include regularly testing workers, daily screenings of COVID symptoms, wearing masks, and using hand sanitizer frequently while interacting with customers. Some companies go so far as to even wear booties over shoes when entering your home.
Pennsylvania mom Penny Villa took extra precautions when she had workers in her house to fix her furnace. “My kids stayed upstairs in their rooms. The worker wore a mask and did the work in the basement while I stayed on the main floor for the bulk of the job," she told Mom.com. "I didn’t feel comfortable with someone in my house but I really didn’t have a choice.”
Home repair: COVID rules to follow
By establishing home repair COVID rules, you can help keep COVID numbers down.
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations err on the side of safety, as you would expect. The CDC actually recommends checking with the local health department before you call a service worker, to see what stay-at-home orders exist and what is considered an essential activity. For example, if you need someone to come and fix the heater during the winter, this is essential but calling someone to fix a squeaky door might not be.
If you must have someone come into your home to do work, make sure everyone is wearing masks while on your property. At the same time, you should wear a mask while the worker is there even though it is your own home. Remember that even asymptomatic people spread the virus and you don’t want to be the starting point of infection.
When the worker is in your home, remain at least six feet from them and when possible, stay in another room, limiting interactions with the worker. The same is true for all members of your household including pets. That’s right, social distancing rules still exist in your home with workers there. When the service workers are done, take the time to clean and disinfect any surfaces in your home that the worker came in contact with, as we describe below.
After service is completed: safety precautions at home
Even if the service provider followed all protocols, you’ll probably still want to take the time to sanitize your home. This includes going over all doors, doorknobs, counters, and the items worked on with disinfecting wipes. After all, you can’t control all variables when a stranger enters your home.
“The rub about COVID-19 is that you are spreading the virus while asymptomatic," Amy Baxter, MD at Pain Care Labs told Mom.com, "Thus, there’s really no surefire way to protect your home from someone who is contagious before they come.”
Dr. Baxter recommends that you fully disinfect the area but also notes that opening up the house will be one of your greatest allies to fight to spread the illness. “The virus is spread through respiratory droplets and aerosols. So, after someone has been there, air the house out, open the windows for 15 minutes, and/or run a HEPA filter if you have to be there at the same time,” she said. This helps diffuse any concentration of COVID-19 in your home.
Remember that we must all do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19. This means only having essential work done during this dramatic surge with a new strain. It also means being smart about safety protocol when you do have a worker enter your home.