This week I’ve invited my colleague Hannah Wise to coach us through moving during a pandemic. |
I am an extreme planner. But I’ll admit that the task of planning a cross-country move during a pandemic with a suppressed immune system (and a sassy cat named Brünnhilde) was a daunting one. |
It was a plan born of necessity. I have Crohn’s disease, which leaves me particularly vulnerable to all manner of infections, including the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. |
After spending nearly 100 days sequestered in my apartment in Brooklyn this spring and relying on the kindness of friends and delivery services, I decided to move to Kansas City to have more space to socially distance and to be closer to family. |
I am far from the only person who has moved this year, but because I had to be particularly neurotic about it, I am sharing my reporting — based in part on reader questions — on how to navigate the experience safely. |
Good luck on your journeys, wear a mask! |
Is it safe and ethical to hire movers? |
In most states, moving companies are considered essential businesses, and many have altered their procedures to minimize risk for their employees and clients. |
But it’s best to call each company in advance to ask them about their new coronavirus protocols, because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to safety. In general, you should be looking for companies that require employees and customers to wear masks, detail how they practice social distancing, and can explain what steps they are taking to screen and protect their employees from becoming sick. |
Get multiple quotes — this goes for pricing, too! — and compare them to the cost of renting a truck for yourself. |
I chose to pack my own belongings and hire a moving company to do the heavy lifting. My movers wore masks throughout the process, and the company required that I have a hand-washing station available on both ends of the move. Everyone practiced social distancing. |
Some readers asked if it was ethical to hire individuals using Craigslist or TaskRabbit, a platform that lets people pay freelancers for odd jobs and recently introduced contactless services. Safety in both cases depends on talking to the people you hire before you hire them. Do what you can to minimize risks for all involved, and make sure you tip generously. |
What personal protective equipment should I wear on the road? |
When it comes to sanitizing the surfaces around you (inside a car or moving van, say), you don’t need to go full Naomi Campbell. The C.D.C. has said since March that contaminated surfaces are “not thought to be the main way” the coronavirus spreads. |
Is it safer to fly, drive or take the train? |
Given that all travel choices include some risk of infection, the decision will most likely depend on the distance and cost. My move required a combination of flying and driving. |
Other than the belongings that movers were taking, I needed to haul Brünnhilde and a small jungle of plants to Kansas City. So my father generously volunteered to fly to New York to help with the 19-hour drive. |
My dad took the first flight of the day, wore a mask throughout the journey and disinfected high-touch surfaces as he went. The flight had about 30 passengers onboard. Upon arriving in New York, he picked up and disinfected a rental van. He stayed in a hotel to further disinfect himself from any germs from the flight and brought separate sets of clothes for the road trip. Here’s more on how airlines are operating right now. |
For those who would travel by train, Amtrak says it is offering private rooms on some routes, limiting tickets to encourage distancing and changing its cleaning procedures. |
Strong personal hygiene and mask wearing is recommended no matter your travel method. |
You’re entering a new chapter of your life. Don’t forget to enjoy it. The American countryside is beautiful. Look out the window and take it in. |
Looking for more answers? Read my F.A.Q. for more on where to stay, traveling with pets or children and accommodations for others traveling with chronic illnesses. |
Have other tips? A fellow lover of the prairie? Tell me on Twitter @hwise29! |
This week I’ve invited Anna Goldfarb, frequent contributor to S.L., to give us a little advice on our email signatures. |
Have you ever caught a glimpse of yourself in a mirror and thought, Whoa, I need a haircut? I had that sensation sending email after email these past few weeks as I worked from home. My email signature was unruly. It needed a haircut. |
I’ve had the same email signature for several years, and it’s filled with irrelevant information. For instance, there’s a link to my Facebook page in there. I rarely check Facebook anymore! What am I doing with my life sharing this outdated info with every single person I send emails to? |
I rolled up my sleeves, whipped out some virtual shears and started cutting. I trimmed links to outdated social media pages, condensed my title and deleted a link to my book that came out in 2012. |
Take a look at your email signature. What info can you scrub or update? Share how you truly want to be contacted right now: on videochat, over Slack, via telephone. (Is it just me? Am I the only person who loves taking phone calls?) Only include social media links you’re active on. If you are open to video chatting, include your Skype name or preferred method of video conferencing for easy reference. |
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