Quarantine in a wheelchair: "We are told to keep our hands clean. But have you seen the hands of a wheelchair user?"

Viktoriia Hubareva

We feel restrictions and inconveniences because of quarantine norms even now, after their easing off and over six months after the beginning of isolation. By "we" we mean the vast majority, people who are not physically challenged. But how do people who are in a wheelchair have to deal with quarantine?

Ukrainian Vasyl Sereda, who moves in a wheelchair, the creator of a motivational YouTube channel, spoke about the problems he had to face during the quarantine.

"We've been given so much advice on how not to get the coronavirus," he says. "But have you seen the hands of wheelchair users? They are usually dirty because we turn the wheels and if the weather is bad, our hands get dirty. Therefore, the advice "keep your hands clean" is, of course, cool, but absolutely not effective. Even at home, after washing my hands in the bathroom and getting to the kitchen, I need to wash my hands again, because even at home I need to move in a wheelchair."

According to Vasyl, it was easy to solve the problem. He needed to stock up on antiseptic and to disinfect the wheels regularly besides the hands, especially before entering the apartment, so as not to bring bacteria into the home.