Moving Tips – How to Safely Move in the Days of CoronaVirus

As folks endure the ‘shelter-in-place’ orders from State Governments many have begun to re-evaluate their lives. Others have lost their jobs and are uncertain if they will get them back again. University students have been told that college is canceled. Thus, there are a whole lot of people considering a move during the Corona Virus crisis.

It might be a good time to move, as real estate prices have taken a big hit and the market looks like it could potentially crash again. Some renters will be forced to move as rents have crept up too high, and are now unsustainable with so many people out of work – some temporarily, some may be permanently unemployed.

A large number of people are thinking about moving, yet some are scared to move right now due to the Covid-19 disease. Some of these fears may be justified, still, with proper and careful mitigation it is possible to move safely and minimize the risk of Corona Virus. Luckily, there are a few very solid moving companies that go out of their way to ensure your safety during this health crisis. If you find a good moving and storage company, you’ll be fine.

If you are planning a move during these trying times there are many things you should be thinking about. Let’s spend a few minutes and discuss these so you can come up with a safe strategy to safely move in these challenging times of Corona.

Important Considerations When Moving During a Pandemic Health Emergency

The first thing you need to consider is if the state you are moving to has a quarantine period. That is to say, a time where you must stay in your home, generally 14-days, or until you are sure you have no symptoms, whichever is longer. Such quarantine periods are mandatory in Texas and Florida and many other states. You’ll need a plan so that you have everything you need once you arrive at your new home.

Next, let’s discuss packing up all your stuff. If you have a moving company crew do this for you, you might want to wait to unpack such belongings for a week or so simply because the coronavirus can live on certain surfaces for a long-time. The things you will be using right away, perhaps you might pack up those things yourself. When unpacking it might be wise to have a UV light over the box as you unpack, as UV light kills the virus in about 2-minutes.

Always wash your hands early and often, and avoid touching your face while unpacking. Have family members do the same. Make it a ritual, each time you take something from a box and place it somewhere in the house, wash hands before grabbing the next item, especially if someone other than you did the packing. You can laugh about it all next year, remembering the whole ordeal. Your family will be stronger once this is all over.

Hiring a Moving Company During the Covid-19 Crisis

Ask the owner or the manager at the moving company what they do to reduce the risk of the coronavirus spread. Ask if the movers will be wearing masks. Explain that you don’t want anyone to come to your old home or your new home if they show signs of having the virus such as a cough, fever, or other common symptoms. Ask if you have the right to turn away a crew member who you see is coughing if you have the right to ask them to leave the premises.

The best moving and storage companies already have protocols and plans in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Moving companies are considered essential workers and they take their industry, jobs, and mission to carefully and safely move you very seriously.

Some Final Thoughts on Completing Your Move

One smart idea that moving consultants and moving experts are recommending during this Corona Virus crisis is to have the movers move in the big furniture into position, the heavy stuff, and put the rest of the unpacked boxes in the garage. It’s easy to disinfect the surfaces of the big furniture with Lysol and/or a similar disinfectant. For wood furniture, hit them with Lemon Pledge afterward to prevent any damage to the surface.

When unpacking the boxes, simply move them one-at-a-time out onto the driveway on a sunny day and begin unpacking. As soon as one is done, start the next one.

Although, you will probably be in somewhat close proximity to the moving crew, try to keep this at a minimum and maintain a safe distance 6-10 feet. If you always maintain the distance, they will too out of courtesy, it’s human nature. You don’t even need to mention it generally, just keep the distance. Also, wear a mask when the moving crew is moving, ask the moving team does as well. Keep kids and elderly members of your family in a room where no moving is going on during the process. Everything is going to be alright

If and when your new neighbors come forth to introduce themselves. Tell them thank you, and tell them that you are under the required quarantine since you moved from another area, but only for 14-days. Tell them that you feel fine, but those are the rules.

Tell them how very happy you are to have nice neighbors and that you will be so happy when this is all over so you can get to know them and invite them over. Exchange only email addresses and phone numbers for now. If something comes up, that’s the best way to communicate for the time being. Be Great, we will all get through this together, and enjoy your new fresh start.

Source by Lance Winslow