ER Doctor Self-Quarantines In His Kids’ Backyard Tree House

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to pose a threat to people across the globe, many front-line healthcare workers are having to take drastic measures to keep their families safe and protected from the virus as they work to fight the disease.

In Corpus Christi, the story of one doctor's safety precautions caught the attention of reporters.

39-year old Jason Barnes who works as a doctor at both Christus Spohn Hospital Beeville and Christus Spohn Hospital South, recently became worried for the safety of his family as he worked to fight the virus.

As he works in the ER, Barnes has been treating patients for a variety of illnesses and injuries. However, he recently discovered that some of the patients he has been treating have tested positive for coronavirus.

Therefore, Barnes decided to isolate himself from his family.

"The main reason I'm isolating from my family because I've been treating patients with the virus. My wife and kids often get sick with things I bring home from the hospital, and many times in the emergency department, we get caught off guard with patients," Barnes told USA Today.

Barnes had considered moving into a hotel, or renting an RV; however, the treehouse was more convenient and means he can still see his family from a distance.

Barnes is missing his family, and his family is missing him. However, they know that this is a necessary precaution.

"They're within yelling distance, but I can call or go up to the glass. They know not to open the door and risk catching something," Barnes explained.

Barnes was also thankful that the wifi reaches the treehouse, saying, "Luckily the WiFi reaches the treehouse, so I have my laptop and my own little command center here".

Barnes had started out with a bucket to use as his toilet (what a lovely thought) but has now purchased a biodegradable camping toilet... which I'm sure is much better.

The treehouse is also fitted with an air conditioning unit, which makes this treehouse better than some apartments that I have lived in, in my time! However, showering is quite a challenge for Barnes apparently:

"Christus leadership has made it easy for us to shower at work, but when I'm off for a few days I don't want to go to work to shower, so my oldest son will rig up a water hose [...] My wife won't let me touch the hose, so he sets it up and I take a quick shower. Luckily my fence is pretty tall."

However, Barnes has to make sure he's quick to collect the food packages to stop them from being intercepted by pesky animals!

"My wife will make breakfast or dinner and leave it on a table and I'll grab it before the dogs can get it. I also bring home food from local restaurants when I'm out. We try to support local businesses," said Barnes.

The hope is that Barnes will be able to return back to his home at the end of April; however, this all depends on the information provided by the CDC and how his wife feels about him coming back.

"We're always looking at the CDC and Gov. Greg Abbott's direction, but the final determinator is the wife", Barnes claimed.

These are difficult times, however, following appropriate social distancing and self-isolation protocols helps to protect not only yourself but your friends and family.

h/t: USA Today