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| Photo by Anshu A on Unsplash |
One of the things I notice when I look back over the years is the number of colds I had - usually several a year, of which at least one would be serious enough to take quite a while to recover from. As a massage therapist it's not good practice to work when ill so any infectious illness meant time off work, inconvenienced clients and a drop in income. Since March 2020 I have had - not a single cough or cold! I suspect this is partly because of increased hygiene and wearing a face mask, but also because we now tell people not to come in when they have cough or cold symptoms or are otherwise feeling unwell.
Prior to the pandemic I would often have people come in for a treatment who would then reveal that they had a cough or cold; sometimes I would turn them away, especially if they seemed to have a temperature (massage is contraindicated where the person has a temperature) but sometimes I would just accept it and continue. My room is small and poorly ventilated so of course I would often end up being infected and having to take time off. I have a pretty honed immune system after fifteen years of working in various primary schools - plus I eat healthily and exercise - but it can't fight off everything successfully.
I am no longer insisting that people wear a face mask during appointments but I appreciate it when people do and I am continuing to wear one myself. I do ask that if you have a cough, cold or sore throat that you delay your appointment until you are well again. That way I have a better chance of staying well and able to work (always important when self employed!) and we reduce the likelihood of more people becoming infected - not just with regard to Covid-19, but other infectious illnesses too. If you are in close contact (share a household) with someone who has Covid-19, please wait ten days from when they tested positive before booking your appointment - this is because sometimes symptoms take a while to develop and as you will be in close contact with me for up to an hour we need to take precautions. So often in the UK we have just tried to carry on as normal when ill; I know there are still financial and other pressures to do this but where possible let's protect others by minimising their exposure to our illness.
I hope you that stay well and enjoy the summer!
