Freaking out

[Emufakes]

Have terrible anxiety and hoping someone can talk me down. Had a close relative pass away before Christmas and have had to come into a bank to register a lasting power of attorney, this was completely unavoidable as couldn't be done online and needed to be done immediately for reasons I won't go into. I was so worried about having to come here in person as I am shielding due to being on steroids for a skin issue. I am in a part of East London where case rates are astronomical. I am wearing a mask of course. I am dealing directly with a bank employee but have been placed in one room and he is in another and is communicating with me over the phone. However the room is small and unventilated and I'm terrified covid could be hanging around in the air.

Can anyone tell me how reasonable I am to be freaking out about this. I have terrible anxiety.

Sorry, what exactly is is that you are doing in the branch?

I think something in your account has become garbled.

Especially as bank services are almost entirely online/on the phone at present, and appointments are usually just to verify documents.

I have to register a lasting power of attorney

Trust me it hasn't been garbled.

It isnt anything to do with my own account, it is to do with my father's who died.

Just feel so unsafe

I thought death cancelled POA, which is why I thought there must be a garble.

Who is executor of the Will, because I was going to suggest that that person is the correct one to deal with your relative's estate.

He's in one room and you're in another room? That's fine, ventilation only matters if you're both in the same room

No sorry, the POA is for my stepmum who can't manage the bank account at all (can't even use a debit card, don't ask). I have POA for her and have to resister it or she basically has no access to money

Fuming with my dad for leaving it the way he did but thats another story

I was more concerned that if anyone was in the room before me covid particles may still be in the air

I hope you're feeling ok now. There really isn't any evidence that it's transmitting that way. The fear of airborne exposure is from times when people are in the same room together for hours and hours and they aren't wearing masks or socially distancing. I've very confident you'll be fine

Sorry - understand now, and see that my original plan of offloading it all on someone else asap isn't going to work.

I hope you gelled your hands when you left and washed them as soon as possible after. As they are insisting on visitors wearing masks thus containing the exhalations of anyone previously in the room) the risk is very low. If they left time between occupants, that makes you safer (all droplets will have dropped). Opening windows is also a good step, but if it's a typical bank layout that won't be possible.

I hope you've got it all sorted out now

Chuck your clothes in the wash and shower as soon as you get in! you’ll be fine.