Today marks day 79 of sheltering at home on my calendar. June 12th, the Governors order will end for the over 65 age group. My journal of this pandemic has prayers, chores, daily walks, and outings noted. Also, my home projects that always got put on the back burner finally got done.
My little beach getaway has been thoroughly cleaned top to bottom even those dusty mini blinds are shiny clean.
I painted my kitchen cabinets. I had new appliances installed, which was daring because I had to let delivery folks enter.
All the closets, drawers, and pantry are orderly, which means I can’t find a thing. But all and all, I made good use of the time. With all that behind me I had just one more thing to do before getting out.
Covid-19 tests sites are readily available and free. I went and had the test done last Friday, out of respect for others that I will have contact with after sheltering.
There are different ways to do the test. One is an oral swab, and the results take about three days. The other is the cotton tip that goes up the nose. I chose the cotton tip because there is less chance for false results.
The state has a phone number to call, where they ask you a variety of questions mostly about symptoms or exposure to positive cases. Then you get your appointment date, location, and a order number to put on your car dash along with identification.
You cannot roll your window down, and you cannot take photos at the site. The drive-through site has workers along the way for assistance if you need it. When you get to the tent where the nurse with protective gear is ready, that’s when you roll the window down and verify your identity.
Now it’s test time. Are you prepared for it? The nurse handed me a tissue to blow my nose and asked me to keep it. Next, the swab went into one nostril, twirling it around and on to the second nostril. Honestly, it was easy.
Three days later, the health department called and said the results were negative—just another good reason to feel good about making the sacrifice to stay home.