Covid-19 'could be airborne' and 'drunk people don't social distance'

If Covid-19 is airborne that could be a huge development for an already horrific coronavirus pandemic. In other news, social distancing and alcohol really, really don't mix. The last newsletter edition was all about coronavirus news that won't ruin your day. This one, not so much.

? Could Covid-19 be airborne?

239 scientists from 32 countries have called on the W.H.O. to revise their official coronavirus guidelines based on evidence they say smaller, airborne particles can infect people, according to the New York Times.

Why does this matter? Pretty simple really. If Covid-19 particles have the capability to infect people via small particles that can linger in the air indoors longer than currently believed, the current W.H.O. guidelines would be insufficient in providing accurate advice for businesses and organizations in how to best protect people against contracting the virus.

The New York Times states, "If airborne transmission is a significant factor in the pandemic, especially in crowded spaces with poor ventilation, the consequences for containment will be significant. Masks may be needed indoors, even in socially-distant settings. Health care workers may need N95 masks that filter out even the smallest respiratory droplets as they care for coronavirus patients."

It doesn't stop there, "Ventilation systems in schools, nursing homes, residences and businesses may need to minimize recirculating air and add powerful new filters. Ultraviolet lights may be needed to kill viral particles floating in tiny droplets indoors."

It has proven difficult to show if Covid-19 is in fact airborne, but one of the researchers who penned the letter to W.H.O., Lidia Morawska, a professor of atmospheric sciences and environmental engineering at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia says multiple studies have shown aerosols can hang in the air for long periods and float dozens of feet," and that "We are 100% sure about this."

One thing that's important to keep in mind, is that "airborne" in this sense is not what you see in the movies where a particle floats for a day inside and outdoors, and wafts around the street snaking through car windows and into houses.

People generally “think and talk about airborne transmission profoundly stupidly,” Bill Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told the New York Times.

There's no argument among experts that Covid-19 behaves in such a way, but the contention lies in just how infectious it can be in enclosed, indoor environments where smaller particles can linger.

What this means

Nothing good. That is, unless a business truly does value the safety of employees or customers over all else. But the implication is that restaurants with indoor seating which takes into account social distancing by placing tables a meter or two apart, wouldn't be enough to truly limit spread. When people eat, they talk, they can't wear a mask (for obvious reasons) and they interact with staff. Add into the mix a poorly ventilated room and you've got a much higher risk than previously thought.

? Gyms? Another enclosed space where people are working out and exhaling at increased rates. Try running on a treadmill with a face mask and not feeling like you want to pass out.

? How about retail? While malls do tend to have larger indoor spaces than individual shops, and in countries and cities where masks are still required to be worn the risk would be less, malls are still gathering spots where thousands of people filter through daily. Smaller, individual shops not requiring customers or staff to wear masks could be even worse off if Covid-19 aerosols linger.

? Office buildings or blocks with enclosed environments and central aircon would also have to ensure their building's ventilation system is up to snuff and staff working hour rotations are minimized. Also, who wants to work at their desk all day wearing a mask? That wouldn't encourage employees to want to return to the office.

? Kindergartens and preschools would be particularly tricky if children aren't required to wear masks, but even if they are you've got a multitude of kids together in an enclosed space for half of the day, and in hotter climates there will be less outdoor activity.

With all of the above, ventilation would play a major role. Most places (except Australia because they just have to be different) are in the thick of summer with aircons blasting and windows shut, recirculating the air all day. Here in Singapore, we're also in the midst of the worst dengue season on record, so leaving windows open poses the added risk of letting in dengue carrying mosquitos, or "mun muns" as my daughter says.

For businesses to add powerful filters on ventilation, invest in UV lights, or even shorten opening hours, it adds increased costs to operation.

It is important the W.H.O and other regulatory bodies seriously consider the science being presented by this group of scientists when giving guidelines to help businesses and individuals protect themselves from any coronavirus infection threat. Even if changing current guidelines results more -- or more difficult -- restrictions, it is better to err of the side of caution. Changing guidance isn't impossible. Remember when it was widely accepted that people should only wear masks if they were showing symptoms or sick? Now it is common knowledge that everybody wearing masks helps fight the spread of coronavirus.

?? Drinking ≠ social distancing

Did you see the UK and the U.S. this weekend? No? Here you go.

In the UK, pubs and bars officially reopened this weekend. Lot's of people pent up after lockdowns couldn't wait to get out.

(PHOTO: Getty Images)

People were...happy to be out.

Hugging, not a mask in sight, leading one member of the Police Federation in England to say, "What was crystal clear is that drunk people can't/won't socially distance."

In the US, there were less 4th of July celebrations, but "less" doesn't mean "none."

Hey look, I get it. Pandemics suck. They're no fun. Nobody wants to be stuck at home for months. I certainly do not. People want to have fun, be normal and go about their lives. But here's the thing, the virus does not care what you want. This has been said so many times in so many ways that there's no point in scolding people for behaving this way when the US is recording over 50,000 cases a day, or when the UK is not out of the woods yet even if the trend is largely going in the right direction.

It isn't as if measure's aren't being taken (to some degree at least) to curtail crowds mixed with drinking. In New York, two bar owners and one restaurant owner were arrested for flouting Covid-19 regulations. Some states in the US have closed down bars again, but that didn't stop events like that party in Diamond Lake, Michigan from occurring.

What can bars and restaurants do? From the example of BrewDog bar in the UK, going "above and beyond" the mandated guidelines goes a long way to help both reassure customers they're safe, as well as make sure they're actually as safe as possible.

If you look at countries that have done well in fighting coronavirus and reopened restaurants and bars like Thailand which recorded only five new cases on July 5, seeing party-going crowds without masks is less of a shock. But for those countries with continued high or rising case counts, where any break in social distance discipline or protective measures can send things spiraling in the wrong direction, alcohol combined with crowds will likely continue to be a problem and a spark for new coronavirus clusters.

The pandemic isn't over when lockdowns ease, businesses reopen and we can grab a pint again. If anything, the world is peaking in cases right now with over 533,000 deaths worldwide.

(IMAGE: Google)

So now I will be repetitive and turn up my dad voice... wear a mask or cloth facial covering, even if you're not required to. That is the absolute least we can do, even if there are smaller aerosol particles or big alcohol fueled parties.

If we all take the mindset of social responsibility in our daily lives and our business operations, we'll all come out of this quicker as a global community regardless of official guidelines or the detrimental actions of a few.