7 Tips on How to Move Safely During the Pandemic

Jun 02, 2020 Lifestyle, Tips, News, Buying

With travel restrictions and social distancing in place, many people are postponing their moving plans. Governments are assisting by suspending eviction processes during this time.

Are you wondering if you can move during the COVID-19 outbreak?

Move.org has put together a list of frequently asked questions to help you understand how the pandemic affects moving.

Should I move during COVID-19?

While you may be allowed to move during COVID-19, that doesn’t mean it’s always in your best interest—or in the best interest of others.

Here are consider six things before moving:

Is COVID-19 spreading in the area where you’re going?
Will you or your travel companion(s) be in close contact with others during your trip?
Are you or your travel companion(s) more likely to get severe illness if you get COVID-19?
Do you have a plan for taking time off from work or school, in case you are told to stay home for 14 days for self-monitoring or if you get sick with COVID-19?
Do you live with someone who is older or has a serious, chronic medical condition?
Is COVID-19 spreading where I live when I return from travel?

If you can’t postpone your move, these same questions can help you plan your relocation to be as safe as possible.

Will gloves help if I move during COVID-19?

If you have to move during COVID-19, gloves will help protect your hands from injury, but they aren’t recommended for preventing the virus. Rather than help prevent the spread of COVID-19, gloves can actually create another surface for the virus to live on.⁷

“I don’t think (gloves) are going to do anything but give people a false sense of security, waste time, and create more demand for something that’s unnecessary,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told TODAY.

Please remember to wash our hands regularly to keep safe and healthy.

How else could COVID-19 affect my move?

The full consequences of COVID-19 aren’t known, but there are several ways the pandemic could potentially affect your move:

Temporary government orders in the cities you are moving to and from could prevent you from moving.
Temporary government orders could prevent you from eating at restaurants en route to your new home.
Potential grocery store shortages could prevent you from stocking up the fridge at your new home.
Widespread transmission of COVID-19 and moving company policies could limit the number of workers available to help with your move.
Social distancing guidelines could prevent family, friends, and hired labor from gathering in groups of 10 or more and standing within six feet of each other while loading and unloading your moving truck.
Money received via a federal government economic stimulus plan could be saved for moving expenses when life gets back to normal.¹⁰
An increase in demand can result in hours-long hold times to reach customer service representatives to set up internet services, ask mortgage questions, and possibly even book your movers.

If you can’t put off your move, don’t worry! You can get it done with some careful planning.

Here are seven tips on how to move safely during the pandemic:

Talk to your moving company. Moving companies are taking several precautions to protect their customers, including following social distancing guidelines, providing estimates based on photos or videos of your belongings, sanitizing trucks and equipment, and wearing masks and gloves.
Use a packing calculator, like this one from Moving.com so you can purchase all your supplies in one trip to the store.
Do your own packing to reduce contact with moving personnel. The coronavirus can live on cardboard for 24 hours, so any recycled boxes you are using should have sat untouched for at least 24 hours before you use them.
If you are moving out of or into an apartment or condominium building, notify your neighbors so they can choose to avoid elevators, stairwells, or hallways during your move.
Use door stops to hold doors open to reduce toughing door handles. Have your pets secured so you don’t have to worry about the doors being left open.
Pack hand soap and paper towels in a marked box so they can be last on and first off the truck.
When you arrive at the new home, disinfect door handles, cabinet and drawers pulls, appliance handles, and light switches first, even if the home was professionally cleaned before you arrived.