COVID & Notary Safety?

Looking For Advice
1

I have not accepted a signing since 3/16/2020 because when offering my last borrower that day a sterilized pen of mine or she could use her own, her response was “Oh I’ll just use yours, I don’t care if I get sick”. Feeling like and unemployed loser, I’ve been looking at the forums since 3/16/2020 trying to decide what to do and listening to all the experiences.

Well, here is mine when I finally decided to give it a test today. I called in the morning before the appointment to check his health status. His reply. “Don’t worry I have had a COVID test which was negative.” He goes onto explain it was because he was in LA to see his father who was exposed to a co-worker that tested positive for COVID. I felt that was probably enough distance from direct contact.

I completed the signing and was making conversation from afar only to find out the real story. Apparently he had forgotten the story he made up over the phone and I come to find out his Father died of COVID and he was being tested because he was in contact with people in the household that had direct contact with a deceased COVID patient.

Are you kidding me, I have not signed anything since 3/16/2020 and I walk into this mess. Now technically I have no idea wether I should quarantine or what because I can’t believe a thing this guy says. I have no idea wether his test was negative or if he has even had one. Hind sight the LA comment should have triggered me not to take the appointment because things are much worse there than in Northern California, but I’m here to tell you the borrower will say anything to get their business done. So, I’m pretty much done for the forseeable future after 20 years of service to this industry.
Good luck all and stay safe.

1 Like
2

I haven’t taken any closings in awhile despite offers. I just do abstracting which I can do online. Look to diversify.

3

Hi,

I did abstracting about 15 years ago and back in the day you had to actually go to the various county recorders in order to obtain the information. Are all states and counties now on-line? How did you obtain business as when I was doing it, not a lot was available.

Thanks

4

I just marketed and called companies. I get overflow or orders that need full searches at the courthouses when a document is not online. So with courthouses closed, I have been doing online searching for a lot of companies I get the hard orders they don’t want to deal with and the overflow.

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5

Apply for unemployment you will get it. Just because the companies we work for are considered essential, you do not have to put yourself at risk. Its a fine line, are they providing you and the client PPE, NO! Can I maintain a 6ft distancing, not really, plus a lot of signings were electronic on my IPAD. I stopped signing at the end of March. I had a similar experience with a ER doctor treating Covid patients. No mask, no gloves and did not tell me until after the signing. However I do understand if notaries HAVE to work. My situation is I can make it just fine on unemployment since self employed now qualify and get the additional 600 a week too. :slight_smile: