COVID-19: KEEPING EACH OTHER SAFE

Given that people are infectious before they display symptoms, I'm pleased that Professor Whitty and others are now endorsing the two principles I have been following for the last few months:

1. Act as if you are infectious
2. Act as if anyone you meet is infectious.  That includes children.
   

We still need to dramatically reduce the contact we have with other people, and reduce the risks when we do.  That means, primarily indoors but also outdoors:

• Stay home as much as possible, but for daily exercise
  
• As far as is possible, avoid situations which put you close to someone else for any length of time.  Anything more than a few seconds, so you don't breathe near each other more than a couple of times.
  
• Maintain at least 2m distance and preferably 4m because of viruses spread on tiny 'aerosol' droplets that float through the air rather than drop quickly to the floor
  
• Wear a mask, principally to catch virus-laden droplets in your breath to stop them from infecting other people. In the case of simple face coverings "My mask protects you, yours protects me."
• Follow other rules and guidance
  

In practice it means:

• Reducing the times visiting a supermarket.  When you do:
• Use hand sanitiser on arrival
• On getting home, wash hands before and after putting purchases away
  
• Avoiding public transport
• Indoors, increasing ventilation to disperse the 'aerosols'
  
• At work, adopting sensible precautions where not full PPE
• Outdoors the risk of transmission is much lower than indoors, but even so:
• Try to avoid passing people closely
• Wear a mask outdoors if you expect to have to pass people closely 

 

A NOTE ON VISORS

Visors are principally to protect yourself from people coughing or sneezing droplets directly at you, as might be the case in hospitals and personal care settings.  It is why hairdressers have been advised to wear both a mask (to avoid infecting their customers) and a visor.  

In normal situations a visor is of little benefit to you, as you have to breathe in air around it, with whatever water droplets are floating in it.