Good ideas for CovidCaching

[GeocachingGoku]

Try wiping down caches and their contents when you find them so nobody gets sick!

[GeocachingGoku]

If anyone else has any ideas feel free to share them here, and help keep the Geocaching community safe!!!

[+cerberus1]

39 minutes ago, GeocachingGoku said:

Try wiping down caches and their contents when you find them so nobody gets sick!

 

Since this is basically what you said in another thread, I'll repeat here too....

 

I'd rather folks didn't take it upon themselves to "help" with other people's property, thanks.   

"Cleaning materials" covers quite a lot of chemicals, and not all are good on plastics or seals.

Cleaning everything in a container could have issues with baggies, and  "sealed" swag packaging too. 

Wiping everything down, then not allowing it all to completely dry before closing doesn't help either...

We can't get folks to stay long enough to CITO.  Anyone really think folks will do this and hang out a while ? 

[GeocachingGoku]

STOP

[GeocachingGoku]

I'm just trying to make sure everyone stays safe

[GeocachingGoku]

Why do i feel like you  only do this to me

[+coachstahly]

4 hours ago, GeocachingGoku said:

Try wiping down caches and their contents when you find them so nobody gets sick!

 

If your intent is to protect cachers from catching anything, the better option is to focus on the cacher and not the cache.  EVERY time someone finds a cache, it would need to be "cleaned" thoroughly by each and every cacher that finds it, which means every cacher would need to bring their disinfectant supplies with them to each and every cache they find.  

 

Instead, it would be easier to let cachers know that they should practice good hygiene and wear disposable gloves (which would need to be thrown away after EVERY find), a mask (if in an area where they expect to be close enough to people to be exposed), avoid touching their face, and wash their hands after each find.  You could also suggest that cachers, if they're that concerned, should avoid any caches that have been found recently since the virus can survive on these surfaces for X amount of days (varies based on the surface).

 

It would prevent cachers from messing with property that's not theirs and would place the onus on them to take care of themselves rather than take care of someone else's cache, which they probably don't have permission to do anyway.

Edited May 20, 2020 by coachstahly
spelling

[+frostengel]

59 minutes ago, GeocachingGoku said:

I'm just trying to make sure everyone stays safe

 

You can't.

 

I don't know where you are from and how bad the Covid-19 situation is in your country. It's far from over here but people are allowed to do many, many things that are much more critical than geocaching.

Best you can do is wash your hands and keep distance to others and remind them to do the same if they forget (or don't want to) no matter what you are doing.

[+niraD]

2 hours ago, GeocachingGoku said:

Why do i feel like you  only do this to me

Because when it's "done" to you, you notice and you care. When it's "done" to others, you don't notice.

[+igator210]

I've gone caching every week and have grabbed over 60 caches since the whole ordeal started. I haven't caught anything off a cache yet.

Edited May 20, 2020 by igator210

[+niraD]

3 hours ago, GeocachingGoku said:

Try wiping down caches and their contents when you find them so nobody gets sick!

The latest news from the CDC is that the virus spreads primarily person-to-person, and that other ways of spreading are unlikely:
CDC: COVID-19 spreads mainly person-to-person, not easily in other ways

[+GO Geiger]

We all have masks with us when on the trail, have a designated cache handler for each entire outting, wear gloves and/or use hand sanitizer after each cache, use hand wipes once back to the car and don't touch our faces.  We have sadly not gone on group cache outtings in over 2 months.  Given the latest CDC guidance this is probably overkill, but better safe than sorry.

[+brodiebunch]

You may want to consider seeking out geocaches in remotes areas that are found rarely. I have found over 200 since the beginning of March and I was the first to find them this year (and some since last summer) about 90% of the time.