Coronavirus: how to apply social distancing when you share a house

March 9, 2020 1:26 PM

I will be visiting my mother for an extended period. It involves a long international flight. How do I keep my distance if we are sharing a home? Details inside.

The home is fairly large. My partner (who is with me) and I will have our own bedroom and bathroom. However, we would need to share the kitchen and optimally share the living room so she can see us (after all, it's why we are there).

We cook, mom microwaves her meals. She generally doesn't care to eat what we do.

What steps would we need to take while we are in the grey zone? We are traveling from a country that has a better handle on Covid-19 than the US but will have to switch flights in LA. I can ask her to buy rubbing alcohol etc.

posted by rednikki to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

I don’t think that you can isolate yourself from people you live with in any meaningful way. You can read the guidance on self-quarantining here, but if that is what you are going to do, I question the point of visiting really. You would need separate bathrooms and kitchens, or if that is not possible you use the bathroom and kitchen after your mother, then clean all surfaces with bleach once you’re done. You can’t be in the same room. You can’t go out.

If that is how you are going to spend your time with her, I would probably just postpone the trip until summer.
posted by tinkletown at 1:55 PM on March 9, 2020 [6 favorites]

Social distancing is more about reducing the number of potentially virus-spreading social interactions you have, not eliminating them altogether. Taking measures to reduce the chance of infection from five people you interact with for an hour each is both easier and more useful for slowing the spread of the disease than taking those same degree of precautions with one person you interact with for five hours.
posted by aubilenon at 2:53 PM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

I'm guessing you're more worried you might pick it up along the way and expose your mom than you are worried about getting it from her, right?

If you are worried you may be exposed during travel, you can wear a mask when you're around your mother. Just *make sure you know how to wear it properly*. Wash your hands a lot. Don't touch your face. Disinfect your seat area on the plane. A mask won't keep you from getting it en route, but if you are exposed, at least you won't spread it to your mom.

Shower and change clothes as soon as you arrive (no hugs! Hug later when you're clean).

But really, I would seriously consider postponing the trip until things have settled a bit. I wouldn't want to spend a trip to see family (especially one so far away that I might not be able to do frequently) being worried about this.
posted by ananci at 3:50 PM on March 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

Wearing a mask will not prevent somebody with covid19 spreading it to others, unfortunately. If it did, both self-isolation and hospital isolation policies would be a lot less stringent.
posted by tinkletown at 6:00 PM on March 9, 2020

Best answer: I think you'd have to self-quarantine in a rented apartment for two weeks, and then move into the house.
posted by sebastienbailard at 6:42 PM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Here in the Bay Area, I know ~8 people who have cancelled trips to see parents who are over age 65. My own parents just cancelled their trip to CA from another state. My friends are saying “It’s a low risk, but I could never forgive myself if I brought the virus to my parents and they died.” There is no way to distance yourself while meaningfully seeing her - you’d need to be shut in one bedroom and have her bring meals to the door for you for 2 weeks.

Most US airlines are offering full refunds right now if you ask with enough insistence.
posted by amaire at 7:03 AM on March 10, 2020