One of the principal elements of self-directed contact tracing is communication, with the main component being that quarantined people are to place a sign on their front door to inform others of their plight. So, how do they make the sign, and what should be on it?
Material
The first thing will be to find the right materials, which could be a challenge since you will be stuck at home and cannot run to the store. Posterboard would be the best. Notebook paper could work, though it may need replacing periodically. If those are not available, then you will need to be creative. One idea is to cut one side of a cardboard box to use. Another is to use the inside of a cereal box. I am sure you can think of many more.
Regarding size, the examples in this post would be roughly 18 inches by 18 inches in real life. I would go with something at least that big for a house or apartment with an exterior entrance so that people can see from a distance. In apartment buildings with interior corridors, you could probably get away with notebook paper size.
As far as writing utensils go, a black sharpie or another dark color marker would work best. If all you have is a blue or black pen, I would recommend drawing a bubble outline of the letter first then filling in diagonal lines with alternating white spaces in-between. That way, you are more likely to finish the letter before the ink runs out.
Message
As illustrated on the sample doors in this post, the most straightforward message is to draw either an ‘S’, if you have symptoms of the virus, or an ‘E’, if you were exposed. As recommended in the Simple Coronavirus Solution 90-second video, you should draw a circle around the letter if you have arranged to have support from friends or family. Neighbors or city workers could search for homes with non-circled letters and establish contact to provide support.
If you look closely, the ‘S’ door example in this post includes a picture of a woman and her name, Jill, written above it. If you have yet to create a support network, you are more likely to receive help if neighbors can see and associate that there is a person behind that door. It is not required, but it could be helpful.
Attaching the Sign
Now that you have your sign ready, it is time to attach it to your door. I highly recommend that you use something such that the sign is removable and not permanent, so it does not damage the front door, especially if you do not own the door. Of course, it will need to be attached well enough to withstand wind. We have decoration magnets and door hangers. Alternatively, you could use string. I am not sure about using tape. Scotch tape would pull off pretty easily, and duct tape may leave marks on the door when your quarantine is over. I leave this to your decision and ingenuity. Please post other ideas in the comments.
Now that you have your sign up, you can go back to watching Lost in Space on Netflix and wait out the quarantine.
Take care and be safe,
Jeff
#SelfDirectedContactTracing