Cugel wrote:Cunobelin wrote:Cugel wrote:Does anyone have accurate and specific data, obtained via experimentation and all the other usual scientific modes, that describes the minutiae of how this virus may transmit? Has anyone collated enough experiential data? I doubt it, so the speculation here is mostly wild guessing, eh?
Well, we humans will do that. But some of the guesses seem to stray over the Boolean border into to the set "scaremonger" whilst others head for the "blase" set. Scaremongers will be scaring others besides themselves by speculating in places like this. The blase .....? Impossible to judge if they're doing significant damage in the way of encouraging virus spread or not, innit?
In reality, it seems difficult to know exactly what behaviours, proximate distances to others in various circumstances and modes of touch-transmission are operating at what levels to pass the virus. There's really only: "Viruses of this kind normally transmit something like this (we guess in an educated fashion) but it will vary greatly with the person and the circumstances".
Government rules (such as they are) seem to be going slowly into "rules for worst case scenarios". That would be OK if there weren't all those vast unintended consequences, from dying alone at home of something else, unvisited .... to policemen getting Statsi with perfectly safe behaviours. Not to mention the practical issues of food distribution and other infrastructure services slowly being reduced by an increasing demand for "lockdown" - whilst effectively causing more social mixing as people go a-hunting-oh for unnecessary 100-packs of toilet rolls.
Cugel
It is a variant of a well known and well-researched group of viruses. (Shouldn't that be Virii?) That data is transferable to the current
With the perspective of this thread, there is a proven "load" of the virus in the nasopharynx and throat that will be transferred to sputum.
That is all that is needed to prove the irresponsibility of spitting
Iss, iss. But what about sneezing, coughing, dribbling, breathing, panting, sighing heavily and all the other modes whereby humans emit aerosols of tiny droplets capable of transmitting this virus? How far do they each project a viable virus that might enter another human? I suggest we don't really know with any real accuracy, as the circumstances vary so greatly.
Spitting is pretty rare in public (or at all) these days. The closest I ever see it is cyclists doing snot-rockets and rebel-yoofs trying to look hard. No one goes spit-sniffing either.
Cugel
Sneezing openly onto a surface, or the floor is covered by "Catch it, Bin it, Kill it
Coughing is openly onto a surface, or the floor - covered by "Catch it, Bin it, Kill it"
Dribbling is- covered by "Catch it, Bin it, Kill it"
Breathing, panting, sighing heavily - all covered by the Social Distancing.
Spitting Should be within "Catch it, Bin it, Kill it"
Why should spitting be exempt?
