Take note, lovely clients of mine. I have been working outdoors to minimize the spread of Covid-19 since March 2020 and I will continue to work outdoors for the foreseeable future. Yes, rain, cold, wind and all. We survived winter 2020 and we’ll make it through this winter. There is an undercover deck for when it rains.
‘Why?’ do you ask. We don’t have any community transmission, right? The last time a client asked me when we were going to move back into the clinic, a five-day snap lockdown for the whole of Victoria was announced that very night.

The Reasons

So, here’s a list of reasons why I am going to continue to work in my driveway or deck:

1. Most dogs and even the cats seem quite comfortable out in the open. They can see they owners a few feet away; they can see the odd chicken or cat wandering by (even more exciting).
2. I have a new strategy for chilblains that I have suffered for the last 30 years. I discovered the five-minute blockie (jog around the block) between clients last winter (and I got fitter too). It warmed me up and has been the most effective strategy to date.
3. Covid-19 hasn’t gone away. I spoke to someone yesterday. She mentioned that her daughter had a sniffle and stayed home. I asked if she had got a Covid test. ‘No, because there’s no Covid at the moment. The only thing you have to do is get the vaccine.’
   I explained that the tests are important to detect any leaks into the community. What if that guy up in Sydney had decided he just had a cold and had not bothered to get tested? My son also pointed out that the current AstraZeneca vaccine is supposedly 10% effective against the South African strain. Despite America pulling all stops out to get their population vaccinated, I have heard that it will take 10 years for their population to develop herd immunity. This virus mutates at a rate of knots and it won’t be two shots that we will be receiving but multiple shots over time…similar to the yearly flu shot. The vaccine is not 100% effective. There are multiple cases of returned travellers testing positive despite having had their two shot vaccinations before returning to Australia.
4. I use public transport regularly. Currently about 25% of train travellers do not wear masks. Mostly groups of young people. It makes me extremely nervous but the law enforcers are few and far between so there’s no one to police this.
5. It has taken me a year to train some of my clients to my ‘Covid safe’ protocol. The thought of changing the instructions again….
6. Mask wearing is recommended if we can’t social distance. My driveway is bigger than my clinic. I don’t enjoy wearing masks.
7. I have booked a trip to the snow as part of a scouting activity in August and I really, really want to go.

BYO Your Winter Woolies