I'm still doing some house calls but I'm limiting them to one a day (if there is even one a day) in an effort to protect my customers. I'm not accepting new customers yet. I call them first thing in the morning to make sure everything is clear. I carry rubber gloves to use in stores that don't supply them but not for tunings. I do wash my hands before I leave home and the moment I return... before I even take my coat off and I use hand sanitizer before I leave my car and as soon as I get back into it. I clean and sterilize the keys before I tune as well, and wipe down my working tools with alcohol when I get home. Social distancing with my customers is a must, even if it seems safe. I also change my clothes when I get home.
There is NO hand santizer to be found in stores, so I make my own. MIx 2/3 cup of at least 80% isopropyl, rubbing alcohol or ethanol (I use Everclear I keep as a hammer softener) with 1/3 cup of aloe vera gel and 10 or so drops of an essential oil to cover the alcohol smell and mix real well. Keep it in small bottles that you can seal to stop the alcohol from evaporating. It's not as good as washing with soap and hot water, but it's better than nothing.
I only have three tunings this week and did four last week. It's likely that I won't be doing any in the next few weeks until the worst of this passes up here in Alberta. I suspect our business practices will change in the future, at least until a vaccine is developed. All three levels of government here are offering some relief to self-employed people and the federal government is supposedly offering enough to pay the mortgage and keep the lights and heat on.
The only businesses open here are essential services such as food stores, restaurants with take out service, fuel stations and auto service and parts stores. Liquor and cannabis stores are still listed as "essential services" but I can't get a hair cut. Schools, recreation centres and some churches are closed, so no tunings there and everyone is being urged to just stay home. Mind you, if they stay home they may play the piano more and often they haven't tuned it for years.
One more thing I should mention is that there is an excellent video conferencing system called "Zoom" (www.zoom.us) that in its free form allows for up to 100 participants in a meeting for 40 minutes at a time. After 40 minutes it logs everyone off and you can start a new session. Music teachers are using it to teach lessons, family and friends are using it to keep in touch and I'm going to organize PTG meetings with it. I urge everyone to check it out and if nothing else, keep in touch with your families and friends with it. It's much better than Skype or Facetime.
Stay safe everyone. With some diligence we'll get through this.
------------------------------
John Musselwhite, RPT
Calgary, AB Canada
www.musselwhite.com------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 03-29-2020 13:59
From: Geoff Sykes
Subject: House calls during this pandemic
Almost immediately after the coronavirus thing started pretty much every appointment I had on the calendar, up until the middle of April, cancelled. And I don't blame them. Most of them I would have cancelled myself if the customer had not. But I have two on the books for next week that have not cancelled. Not new customers so I know the people and the environments. So, today's question is whether any of you are actually doing ANY house calls at the moment, or if you are just blanket cancelling everything? If you are still making the rare house call, how are you approaching it?
Thanks --
------------------------------
Geoff Sykes, RPT
Los Angeles CA
------------------------------