Moving is complicated, whether you choose to handle it on your own or hire professionals to help. But if you have no choice but to hire some help during the coronavirus pandemic, here is some advice on how to remain as safe and healthy as possible.
Proceed with Caution
The first thing to keep in mind is the reality that we are in the midst of a global pandemic, which means being extremely careful is crucial. If you’ve been to your local supermarket recently, you will have noticed that shoppers are more aware of their surroundings and interactions with others. Apply the same level of attentiveness to your move.
Manage you Expectations
Rethink the traditional way you would move home, welcoming movers, family members and friends to make the process a bit easier - as social distancing is important to follow now, this is not the way to go forward. Limit the exposure, the removal company may have two people going into the home and another staying in the van. The family moving might have previously had upwards of 4 people in the home who were interacting with outside help, try to limit the number of people in the house to decrease exposure.
Try to stay far away from your movers and avoid handshakes. It’s also best to ensure everyone can easily wash their hands and make use of face masks, gloves and hand sanitizers.
Explore the option of paying for the service digitally to avoid the handling of cash.
Ask Questions
Before you consider hiring a moving company, find out how the coronavirus pandemic has altered their protocol. What kind of supplies are being made available to them and are they being tested for the virus or having symptoms monitored?
Avoid Paperwork
There can be a lot of paperwork involved in a move, ask to complete this virtually to avoid passing around pens and touching shared surfaces.
Plan your unpacking process
When you hire a moving company, they typically unpack your large belongings for you - you may now want to take care of this on your own. Another option being adopted is everything being delivered into the garage or a storage space and then the customer moving and unpacking everything themselves after letting it sit for a few days when it might be less likely to be exposed to the virus.
The bottom line is as long as you take the government guidelines surrounding COVID-19 seriously, including practical social distancing and vetting any moving company you’re interested in using, you can still experience a fairly stress free move.