I have a little quiz which I send by email to some of our newer notaries to get a reading on how smart they are at handling situations. This Covid19 panic has turned many people’s brains to mush including many Notaries. This is a problem. You need to be able to think, read, and reason. If you lack this ability, anyone can control you and make a virtual slave out of you.
Americans are like a sleeping tiger. It takes us a while to wake up and fight back. It took 33 days for Americans to protest shut downs and now it is a force to be reckoned with.
But, those not fighting are afraid. I ask a question where I ask what the Notary should ask the signer before driving to the signing.
The types of answers I am looking for involve asking for how the name reads on the ID to compare that with the documents. Also going over if funds are due, other signers need to be there, witnesses, tables, 90 minutes available, etc. The types of answers I have been getting in the last two months have been mostly about Covid19 and NOT about Notary related questions.
Sure, you can go over your N95 mask and gloves, but that doesn’t solve the problem of whether their ID says John W Smith. If their ID says Sam Smith and the documents say Samuel T Smith, you can’t do the signing even if you talk for two hours about socially distancing and sitting in the lawn during the signing. The priority is to think about Notary issues first and THEN talk about Covid19. But, there is little to talk about.
As a Notary, you should know the drill for Covid19. You either stay outside the house while they sign, do the signing outside, or sit far apart.
If you are not in bad health and don’t live with someone in bad health, Covid19 is not likely to get you sick or kill you. You might get infected, but 96% of infected people don’t realize they are infected according to new data. The flu is much more dangerous for healthy people, yet we don’t make much of a big deal out of it. Why? Because nobody brainwashed us into fearing the flu AND because it is familiar. People fear what is not familiar.
I am so used to Covid19 now, that it is familiar to me. I am no longer scared. I hope the rest of America comes to its senses before we are all living in refugee camps waiting in long lines for bread and soup.
Well, okay. I agree with you. I am no longer scared. But I am cautious. If someone appeared sick, I would leave. I wear my mask. I wipe down my pens and everything I own that can be wiped down, but.. Hey! This is Texas. This has been an extraordinarily hot summer. It’s 100 degrees or more outside. I am not going to stand outside while the clients sign 150+ pages. Besides, I want to be there to make certain they are signing in the right places.
Finally, I go through all the pages before I leave, to make certain all is right.
And through it all, there’s the bottle of Hand Sanitizer…
Comment by Martha C. Hix — August 29, 2020 @ 12:56 am
First, I’d like to remind everyone that COVID-19 IS REAL! People should take the necessary precautions for remaining safe. It is the actions of those who are not scared or believe it is a HOAX that have states constantly shutting down. I practice using all safety regulated/suggested guidelines to bend the curve. We all want to continue making a living and live healthy, prosperous lives. Remember if the numbers continue to climb that stifles business.
Comment by TLAS — November 13, 2020 @ 9:15 pm
I wear my mask whether the borrower does or not. I am going in and out of strangers ‘ homes and feel safer that way. My title and closing companies all demand it of me anyway. Unless the lender demands a specific ink color, I don’t need to supply pens, but don’t argue if they want to sanitize my pens. My job is to facilitate their closing, not make a Federal case out of it.
Comment by Beraru Elise — December 10, 2020 @ 11:28 pm
Well said I hope your message sinks in to people
Comment by Fergus wallis — December 11, 2020 @ 12:40 am
I “Mask Up” regardless of the signer’s decision. I use , and offer “Hand Sanitizer”, cannot handle the gloves.
I supply “Keeper Pens” new in the bag. 10 for a buck at Dollar Tree.
I ask the signers for their “Preferred Signer Setting” and accommodate accordingly.
I have completed signings in a “Chicken Coop”…Cluck Cluck.
Comment by Dennis Brooks — December 30, 2020 @ 1:38 am