Crucial lesson in hygiene

If there’s one silver lining in the coronavirus pandemic cloud, it’s that people are learning the importance of good personal hygiene, a Geraldton businessman says. “It’s a good wake-up call. People use a shopping trolley but how many do you see washing their hands between using it?” air-conditioning cleaner Wade Gould said. “It (the coronavirus crisis) is a way of teaching society. A wakeup call about community hygiene.” Mr Gould, 45, who operates a Sanitair franchise with wife Kym, was last week still able to go about his work sanitising and removing foreign particles from air-conditioning units, albeit with more protective gear and more precautions than usual. “It hasn’t interrupted us much. Business is still flowing along,” he said. “Hopefully people will see the virus as a reason to make sure their air-conditioning filters are clean. I’m not saying you can get the virus from air-conditioners but you want to make sure they’re as clean and sanitised as possible.” A member of a well-known farming family in Northampton for six generations, Mr Gould now lives in Wandina with his wife and sons Dusty, 6, and Beau, 3. He is worried for the future — that people aren’t taking the risks of the coronavirus seriously and that the Government has left it too late to close the borders. But one thing he’s pleased about is a lesson his son learnt at school. “They’ve taught the kids to wash their hands by putting dye on them so they can see how careful they need to be to wash it all off,” he said. “It’s good for them to learn about hygiene.” Shops in Geraldton CBD make do in crisis *** For information about coronavirus, call National Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080 or visit www.wa.gov.au.