It’s a cold, early morning in February and it’s been three years since the pandemic. Covid-22 is in the news now. We knew back then that we couldn’t hide away forever and as many feared, Covid-19 was not a one-time event. But we’ve gotten back to our lives, adding the virus to the list of things that are a risk to living life on this planet.
But life has changed in many ways. Personal hygiene has remained top-of-mind for most people. You still see people in masks in public spaces, but not anything like it was in the Spring of ’20. Social distancing is still a thing, but it’s not mandated anymore and things are now closer to what they used to be. Businesses have adjusted too. Though many failed, those that remained have developed better procedures for sanitization. Governments are doing better at maintaining public transportation and interior spaces. Looking back, it was a battle fought on so many fronts.
And as someone familiar with Pulsed Light technology, I can’t help thinking about the many ways it has made us safer. Already today, for example, nearly everything I’ve consumed was made safer by exposure to Pulsed Light. The eggs I had for breakfast and the blueberries I snacked on were treated directly with Pulsed Light. The yogurt cups and vitamin containers I opened were sterilized with Pulsed Light prior to filling. And the conveyors used to transport the foods during processing were all decontaminated with Pulsed Light.
Now, I’m on this bus on this rainy Monday morning heading to the airport. I look around, reassured knowing that it has been disinfected overnight in the state’s Pulsed Light decontamination facility. I check my vitals on my phone, which is connected wirelessly to the sensors on my body to monitor my cardiac condition. I realize that even those flexible sensors were made possible by Pulsed Light, which was used to sinter the conductive circuits.
I look down at my carry-on bag, double-checking in my mind to be sure I have not forgotten anything. Then it strikes me that this bag will soon be travelling through a Pulsed Light tunnel, along with the airport security bin where I will place my wallet and phone. The plane too has been awash in blue light overnight. Truly amazing!
As I anticipate the day ahead, I try to remember which floor the gates are on, and again, chuckle to think that the elevator I will ride is disinfected with Pulsed UV Light anytime it is empty. The conveyor rails on the escalator are disinfected too, as they travel ’round and ’round on their endless route.
Suddenly I remember. Lunch! That’s it! I left my bag lunch on the kitchen counter. Damn!
Funny, included in that lunch bag are some leftover mushrooms from last night’s dinner — mushrooms enhanced with extra Vitamin-D produced by their exposure to Pulsed Light. We’re so much more aware of the need for Vitamin-D, now that we know how important it is in protecting us from these recurring Covid diseases. I still have more of those mushrooms in the refrigerator, so I have that to look forward to when I get home. They’ll still be good, since Pulsed Light extends their safe shelf-life. Come to think of it, that grocery store now disinfects their carts with Pulsed UV Light too.
My wife can have my lunch, I’ll pick up some take-out at the airport. Most take-outs now have those Pulsed Light pass-throughs that disinfect the outer packaging, another holdover from the 2019 pandemic. Ugh. I hate to even think of that period. It was during my stay in the hospital with Covid-19 that I first learned of Pulsed UV Light. I remember they had those little R2D2-like robots that disinfected the hospital rooms and N95 masks. Who knew how pervasive the technology would become?
Now Pulsed Light is everywhere, like sunlight. It’s like bringing the power of the sun indoors and that’s the irony. It took a pandemic for us to remember that sunlight is good for us. Viruses cannot survive the exposure to UV rays. I remember the early days of Covid-19, when experts thought it was wise for us all to stay indoors. It seems we have to keep relearning what we already knew.
We’re here. The rain has stopped. I have gathered my belongings and as I step off the bus, a flash of morning sunlight reflects off the terminal window and blinds me momentarily. It’s going to be a good day.