Old approaches… They still work
This might be a good time to revisit the way microorganisms multiply. First, viruses are different from microbes in that they don’t have the necessary enzymes to create the chemical reactions required for reproduction. Instead, viruses need a host cell to multiply. That host can be any bacteria, a fungus, a plant or us. With help from these hosts, viruses are then able to multiply and spread. But back to those ordinary bacteria, given the right environment they reproduce by a biological process called binary fission – meaning they split in two. And if a bacteria cell splits and divides once every thirty minutes, in a matter of hours, there can be literally a million microbes where only one had existed. And each of those millions is a potential host to spread the Coronavirus. So, what this means is that while that Coronavirus particle sitting on that counter can’t multiply on its own, the other (both good and harmful) bacteria there can support its spread. Ergo, the hard surface sanitation practices we’ve always promoted for ordinary public health reasons are even more critical today. In the final analysis the same sanitation and disinfection practices that we promoted to our customers previously is exactly what they need to continue doing today. And remember that’s true even if the germicide being used isn’t viricidal because it can still eliminate the host bacteria cells that the virus needs to multiply.
Marking time and… taking advantage of it
These days we’re a bit like that old saying about being all dressed up with no place to go. Yep, many of us are running at about half speed and find ourselves with more time on our hands than demands on it – at least as far as our customers’ needs go. So now what? Well for starters this might just be the time to tackle that long overdue reorganization of your storage space. You know, the one where we’re supposed to have everything organized to support every imaginable need – but is anything but. Or perhaps, this is the time to focus on overhauling our outdated territory coverage plan. You know the one we meant to address over the Christmas holidays last year? There’s also that long-delayed plan to get up to speed on the laundry business – like formula design and of course, machine programming. Ditto that neglected prospect list that has way too few opportunities in it to support our aspirations for growth. And maybe we even need to research the new business loans (actually grants) that are designed to support employee wages and operating expenses for small businesses like yours. Yep, despite fewer demands on us, there’s still a lot that needs doing.