Spreading across the nation...
I’m renaming the the issue that’s effecting the world just so search engines don’t give me trouble like we've seen with one particular social networking site. I’ll be referring to it as C9.
I feel fortunate that it seems like I have learned about C9 from very level headed people who are saying to be calm, clean and careful. With that in mind, we are trying our best to embody those three Cs for our production, our deliveries and shipments. We are also recommending that you follow these three Cs upon receipt of any package. Watch where your hands are going, follow what the CDC and WHO are saying.
So what are we doing to make sure packages can leave our shop clean?
We have started making our boards in batches. Why does that matter? Virtually all of our boards we have in stock now predate the time when the C9 became public in the USA. There has been minimal human contact (if any) with these as they sit in storage.
C9 does not seem to last long on packages, as seen on this list (#6). In the specific example linked, they claim that even packages arriving from China are fine. Fortunately, packages usually take longer than 24 hours, the lifespan of C9 has on cardboard, to get delivered. Additionally, this 24 hour lifespan is based on lab experiments where the intensity of the sun can't potentially kill C9 off sooner.
Our packaging area is effectively a quarantine already, a quality that is probably more common for a small business. We're not a giant warehouse with thousands of goods and hundreds of people.
We have also changed the design of our operation so that people are more separated, thus making C9 too far out of reach for it to spread
Because of the smaller nature of our operation, we have a very willing and flexible workforce that has allowed us to change hours around thus limiting exposure; in other words, one person can work7:00am and the second person can work from 12:00pm to 8:00pm. There's only a 3 hour period where multiple people are working together. We are trying some other experiments where there could be zero overlap, and that's our goal.
Custom work has its own unique problems, but fear not as we have added a cleaning agent to the wetting process we do between sanding stages. After that, the pieces are only touched via clean gloves.
We are following what the CDC has recommended and we're washing our hands a lot, specifically before and after activities where we are touching tools and shipping supplies.
Lastly, let's do a quick comparison at e-commerce vs a storefront. Going to a store means you're going to run into people who are also trying to prepare for C9, which means you have a much higher chance for exposure, and it is unknown if these people are following any protocols. With e-commerce, the package is going to multiple people but it goes from person A to B to C to etc as opposed to C through Z. Lastly, the customer can still do additional preventative measures after the package is dropped off.
That's my two cents. Above all, please stay safe, wash your hands regularly, and practice social distancing. Remember, you are doing this for your neighbors, your family, and your family's grandparents if nothing else.
Cheers, Nils
