I’m a horror movie fan (fanatic/gore hound), so I’ve seen most every possible scenario involving pandemics – mostly involving zombies. But the below simulation really, honestly scares me – do to the fact its the real world we currently live in and its an enemy we can’t avoid. Coronavirus.
Everything we’ve been told for the past month (or two… I’ve lost track of time) about proper social-distancing, wearing protective masks and gloves for ourselves and others, seems to be taking hold in the communities we live in. Good. But still seeing people standing in long voting lines without protective measures scares the hell out of me. That’s why I’m hoping examples like the one below will really drive home the magnitude of this disease.
Researchers from Aalto University, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the University of Helsinki modelled how particles would be transferred from someone coughing or sneezing in a grocery store.
The supermarket simulation is particularly terrifying because it shows how easily coronavirus travels and spreads through the air in a busy indoor space with just a simple cough. Sometimes theory doesn’t properly communicate the magnitude of a particular threat. Especially bolstered by the ‘it won’t/can’t happen to me’ mindset. But the Covid-19 Pandemic CAN and WILL. My hope is that this visual example will drive home the fact how vitally important these social-distancing and hygiene practices and measures are to our very survival.
