News — Pandemic

Mr. Magpie and I have occasionally despaired over the fact that we feel we were “cheated” or “robbed” of over a year of living in New York City. Almost everyone, everywhere has felt this way about the pandemic, to be sure: we are all grieving the loss of normalcies, of life experiences we were promised, of births and dinners out and weddings and first birthday parties and graduations as they should be. In our case, there is something galling about the amount of money we have paid in rent to live in such tight quarters, with none of Manhattan’s advertised...

Architect designs hotel prototype of the wardrobe purifier Architect designs hotel prototype of the wardrobe purifier A new battery-powered wardrobe purifier that is suitable for hotels has been designed by Carlo Ratti Associati, which uses ozone to help remove most micro-organisms, bacteria, and viruses from clothes… It is anyone’s guess as to what the ‘new normal’ will be like after the COVID–19 pandemic has passed. And while it is, for some, too far-fetched to suggest that hotels will permanently introduce new hygiene measures, others believe that the pandemic has opened the hotel door to welcome in innovative new hygiene products....

Just as handwashing that lasts less than 20 seconds is significantly less effective at preventing COVID-19 transmission, improperly disinfecting surfaces doesn’t fully lessen your potential for COVID-19 exposure. Here’s how to properly disinfect surfaces around your apartment to lessen your chances of spreading the coronavirus. Disinfect high-touch surfaces at least once daily The first thing to know about disinfecting surfaces is that “high-touch” surfaces require daily disinfection. The apartment surfaces that comprise the “high-touch” category include doorknobs, faucets and faucet knobs, toilet seats and handles, kitchen and bathroom counters, tabletops, hard dining chairs, light switches, TV remotes, and game controllers....