Good Living Guide

Coronavirus

Special Face Mask Lights Up When It Comes Into Contact With Coronavirus

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It sounds like science fiction, but it’s actually science fact. A team of researchers is developing a face mask that doesn’t just prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It actually lights up when it’s in the presence of the virus.

Lighting the Way to Better Health

If this reminds you of Bilbo Baggins’ sword that glowed when it was near orcs or the light sabers that Star Wars made famous, it’s for good reason. This mask actually changes to a fluorescent color when it picks up the presence of the virus on a person’s sneeze droplets.

The project began years before the pandemic. A team of bioengineers and medical researchers from Harvard and MIT joined forces back then to create a mask that would signal the presence of the Ebola and Zika viruses. Today, they’re turning their efforts toward developing a signaling mask for COVID-19.

Many Potential Uses

Jim Collins is the lead researcher on the project. He told Business Insider that the mask is only in the early stages, but it has enormous potential. Its main benefit would be to identify people who are carrying the disease but don’t know it.

“As we open up our transit system, you could envision it being used in airports as we go through security, as we wait to get on a plane,” Collins said. “You or I could use it on the way to and from work. Hospitals could use it for patients as they come in or wait in the waiting room as a pre-screen of who’s infected.”

Creativity and Crisis

The ongoing pandemic has led to some creative solutions to public health problems.

A medical team at the University of Kentucky is working on a face mask that would actually kill the coronavirus on contact. If you could combine both features in one mask, you’d never have to worry.

Face Mask

‘Robot Dog’ Unleashed In Public Park To Encourage Social Distancing

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Spot is one of the most popular names for companion canines in the history of dog names. Modern dogs likely wouldn’t be pleased to know the name was popularized by a 1930’s book series and a couple named Dick and Jane who had a pet cat named Spot.

Later on in the series, the cat was changed to a dog, but the name Spot endured. Today, however, Spot looks a little different than Dick and Jane’s furry friend. For starters, his name is SPOT®. He has no head and no tail. And he is available to rent.

Robot Dog

Youtube | CNA

Meet SPOT®, the Robot Dog on a Mission to Stop COVID-19

SPOT® is powered by remote control and can see in 2D and 3D with a 360-degree range of vision. But this isn’t even the most remarkable part. SPOT® also talks in American English using a soft, feminine Asian accent.

As you have likely guessed by now, SPOT® is a robot dog. Built by Boston Dynamics, SPOT is currently on duty patrolling the grounds of the popular Singapore park Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

His mission? To maintain social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Currently, SPOT® can be seen daily roaming about the park, often stopping to scan passersby for the appropriate one-meter distance as they walk, jog or cycle on by.

Cute or Creepy? You Decide

SPOT® can sit, lay down, stand up, walk, stand and run. His yellow and black body looks more like a bumblebee than a canine and his gait is vaguely catlike as he lopes along throughout the park grounds.

Instead of barking, SPOT® continually repeats a message to maintain safe social distancing. What park-goers don’t see is the small army of park officials and operators behind the scenes who are controlling the robot remotely.

Will SPOT® be able to do what the best human efforts to date have not? If he can, he is a wonder-dog indeed.

Robot Dog

Grandpa Has The Sweetest Dance-Off With Granddaughter From Across The Street

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He’s 81 years old. His name is “Papa.” Or at least that is what his darling six-year-old granddaughter Kira likes to call him. And for the sake of love, he is busting out the dance moves to make Kira smile.

Grandpa Has The Sweetest Dance-Off With Granddaughter From Across The Street

Kira and Papa’s Story

When Kira was just a baby, her grandparents moved into the house right across the street. Kira and her mom, Sherrie, feel grateful to have her parents so close.

But right now it isn’t safe to let Kira run across the street several times each day to go play with her elderly Papa and Grandmama.

And so….Kira and Papa started holding daily dance parties.

Staying Close While Staying Safe

Kira chooses the playlist songs. She shows up for the daily dance-offs decked out in her best finery.

Papa (real name Marvin Neely) wears denim and a windbreaker jacket. Kira throws down the initial challenge and then waits eagerly to see what her grandfather will do next.

As Marvin’s daughter, Sherrie, puts it, he “has some special moves.” She also says she has never seen him dance before – until now.

Grandpa Has The Sweetest Dance-Off With Granddaughter From Across The Street

The Best Kind of Virus to Catch

What is so neat about this video is – dare we say it – how it, too, has gone viral. But now we are not running for masks, gloves and toilet paper.

Instead, we are running to hit the “share” button so we can pass the laughter, joy, hope and love along.

Kira and Papa Are on the Today Show!

Within days of when Sherrie posted the friendly little home video clip on her personal Facebook page, the Today Show picked it up.

Now it, too, has made its way around the world from America to Canada, India, Europe and beyond.

JOANN Fabric Stores Giving Out Free Materials At Curbside To Make Face Masks For Health Care Workers At Home

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If you are an avid seamstress and have thought about how you can help the lack of protective masks for our nation’s health care professionals, JOANN Fabric Stores will help you out. The caveat is, you must have a JOANN store in your area that has remained open in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. Even if you don’t have an open JOANN store nearby, you can still participate in this initiative and help health care providers in your area if you have a sewing machine and extra fabric to make masks.

Joann Fabric Stores

Image: JOANN Stores

How JOANN Stores are Helping the Cause

You can help in one of two ways if you have an open JOANN store near you. First, JOANN stores have opened up their crafting areas to comply within social distancing limits to teach interested individuals to make facial masks to give to medical professionals working with those affected by COVID-19. The crafting areas will adhere to guidelines set forth by the CDC for social distancing. However, if you feel more comfortable with simply making the masks in your own home, JOANN stores will provide you with curbside pickup of fabric that you can use in your own home to make the masks and will also help distribute the masks that you make.

Do These Masks Meet Medical Guidelines?

In short, no, they do not, however, many medical professionals have noted that some kind of masks will help prevent disease spread even if they don’t meet guidelines set forth by the government.

In that spirit, how do you go about making these masks? JOANN has a video as well as additional information on how to help. Vanderbilt University also has useful information on how to make and donate mask if you want to help the pandemic effort.

Quarantined Man Sends Dog On A Mission To Buy A Bag Of Cheetos

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The need to stay isolated at home is forcing some people to come up with creative solutions to their problems. One young man discovered that his dog could help make quarantined life more bearable.

Quarantined Man Sends Dog On A Mission To Buy A Bag Of Cheetos

Photo Credit: ckarlozm | Facebook

A Crunchy Craving

Antonio Munoz is a young man in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, who really loves Cheetos and other salty snacks. Unfortunately, Mexico has instituted a strict self-isolation policy to combat the coronavirus.

Under the law, trips to the convenience store for a bag of crunchy, orange goodness are not considered essential.

After three days, Antonio’s craving had reached the point where he had to do something.

Quarantined Man Sends Dog On A Mission To Buy A Bag Of Cheetos

Photo Credit: ckarlozm | Facebook

A Done Deal

He hit on a smart solution that involved his dog Chokis, an adorable chihuahua. Antonio wrote a note to the owner of a convenience store across the street from his home. He strapped the note and some money to his dog’s collar.

Quarantined Man Sends Dog On A Mission To Buy A Bag Of Cheetos

Photo Credit: ckarlozm | Facebook

The note asked the store owner to give Chokis a bag of Cheetos and take the money from under his collar. Antonio also warned the store owner that Chokis would bite if anyone messed with him.

Chokis hit the streets and successfully closed the deal.

Quarantined Man Sends Dog On A Mission To Buy A Bag Of Cheetos

Photo Credit: ckarlozm | Facebook
“Hello Mr. Shopkeeper. Please sell my dog some Cheetos, the orange kind, not the red ones, they’re too hot. She has $20 attached to her collar. WARNING She will bite if not treated right. Your front neighbor.”

Funny Photos

Antonio watched the transaction take place and posted pictures of it on his Facebook page. He captioned the pictures, “Day three of quarantine and I wanted my Cheetos.”

Quarantined Man Sends Dog On A Mission To Buy A Bag Of Cheetos

Photo Credit: ckarlozm | Facebook

A Useful Dog Trick

After that successful run, he decided to give it another try. Chokis has come through every time. The clever pup has now been out three times to fetch his master’s favorite snacks.

Quarantined Man Sends Dog On A Mission To Buy A Bag Of Cheetos

Photo Credit: ckarlozm | Facebook

Virologist Says Coronavirus Can Survive On Fresh Grocery Store Produce

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Don’t skimp on washing your fruits and vegetables as soon as you get them home from the grocery store or farmer’s market. That’s the word from a specialist in infectious illnesses who’s warning us to take the coronavirus threat seriously.

Virologist Says Coronavirus Can Survive On Fresh Grocery Store Produce

Are You Bagging Bacteria?

The advice also applies if you’re getting grocery delivery.

Timothy Newsome is a virologist who teaches at the University of Sydney in Australia. In an interview with the British newspaper Mail Online, he reminded us that the virus can survive on the surfaces of fruits and vegetables.

“We have to remember that every surface is potentially contaminated and with any surface there is a risk,” he said.

Virologist Says Coronavirus Can Survive On Fresh Grocery Store Produce

Soapy Scrubbing

Newsome suggests using soap and warm water, but he doesn’t say what kind of soap to use.

On a Canadian news show, two infectious disease specialists also suggested washing your produce if you’re not going to peel it or cook it.

Is That Extreme?

Some experts say using soap to wash our produce is going overboard.

A simple water rinse can remove more than 90% of pesticides and bacteria.

In fact, according to food safety expert Teresa Hunsacker, “There is no data that suggests anything more than water will do a better job of eliminating coronavirus on produce.”

You can add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar to the rinse water. Both are antibacterial.

Virologist Says Coronavirus Can Survive On Fresh Grocery Store Produce

Staying Safe

Here are some tips for food safety:

  • Wash your hands in soap and warm water before you handle food.
  • Wash fruits and vegetables in clean water. Use a scrub brush for hard produce like carrots and potatoes.
  • Don’t wash produce until you’re ready to eat or cook it.
  • If you use reusable grocery bags, spray or wipe them with sanitizer.

Would you consider washing your produce with soap? We hope everyone is staying safe out there.

Sanitizer Hoarder Forced To Donate His Stash of Almost 18,000 Bottles

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A man who hoarded 18,000 bottles of sanitizer has donated the entire stash. Half the bottles went to a local church, and the rest will go to stores to help them restock their shelves.

Sanitizer Hoarder

PROFITING FROM A CRISIS

Matt Colvin of Hixson, Tennessee, achieved notoriety recently when he and his brother scooped up more than 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. The brothers, who buy items to sell online, saw a profit motive in the coming coronavirus pandemic.

They traveled all over the state to load up on the sanitizer as soon as news of the virus hit.

They later placed 300 bottles for sale in their online store at prices ranging from $8 to $70 a bottle. The bottles sold instantly.

SEVERE BACKLASH

Unfortunately for them, the brothers didn’t count on the backlash they would get for hoarding sanitizer during a global medical crisis.

As the Chicago Tribune reported, “The donations capped a tumultuous 24 hours for Colvin. On Saturday morning, the New York Times published an article about how he and his brother cleaned out stores of sanitizer and wipes in an attempt to profit off the public’s panic over the coronavirus pandemic. Colvin sold 300 bottles of hand sanitizer at a markup on Amazon before the company removed his listings and warned sellers they would be suspended for price gouging.”

DOING THE RIGHT THING

Colvin makes his living selling goods on Amazon, so the suspension hurts him where it counts. In addition, he said, he received hate mail, death threats and a cease-and-desist letter from the Tennessee attorney general’s office.

It sounds like a lot of people weren’t too happy with his actions.

At least he’s decided to do the right thing now.