Image courtesy of WikiHOW
Headline last week in the newspaper: “Study shows two metres might not be enough.”
Well, gee, whiz. Here we go again. The only way a perfectly sensible idea can get ink is if there’s a study.
What Did They Find Out?
These clever scientists have discovered a very important factor to consider when dealing with airborne diseases. It’s…wait for it…wind!
As the sailors in the crowd have been saying for months, the two metres only works if you’re in still air. The moment the air moves (or you move through the air) all bets are off.
Drafting on Bicycles.
Everybody knows that cycle racers “draft” the rider in front because the wind swirls around behind a moving object. Analysis of the air currents around a moving rider gives a pretty definite answer; two metres straight behind is exactly where a cough or sneeze ends up.
Sailors Know
Of course, the reason sailors know about this has nothing to do with sails. If you’re about to chuck your lunch and if you’re in the kind of wind that makes you want to do so, then you figure out pretty quick that if you go to the upwind side of the boat you end up with your lunch in your lap. Which is pretty much what happens when somebody upwind of you sneezes. That two metres stretches quite a distance.
Forming New Habits
Our problem is that we function so much on habits. We don’t have to think to know how close to stand to someone: what closeness makes people uncomfortable, what distance gives them their personal space. But now we have to change that. Two metres has become the rim of our personal space, but that’s only the starting point. We have to stop acting on years of socialization and think through each new personal encounter.
If you’re with a group of people with a good two-metre personal spread and you feel like you’re going to sneeze, I hope you turn and walk away. Downwind, if possible, now that this study has brought it to your attention.
Thinking on Your Feet
The problem happens when you’re in a “normal” situation, but now it’s changed. For example, I find it hardest to maintain social distance when walking my dog. Fortunately, most people’s leashes are at least a metre long, so the dogs can have their usual sniffy closeup while the owners stay back. But when the leashes get tangled, it’s awfully easy to go into leash-untangling mode, which is guaranteed to get you too close to the other person. Then you walk away, and a moment later you think, “Damn. I shouldn’t have done that.”
As time goes by, hopefully I’ll develop a better habit.
Multi-Tasking
As the years roll past and my ability to juggle different activities wanes, I find new patterns more difficult. For example, I have always had the habit of glancing over the bill before I leave the checkout at any store. Well, with all the new hassles involved in paying safely and only touching what other people haven’t touched, the only time I take the bill at all is if it’s for a large amount, claimable for tax purposes or returnable if it doesn’t work/fit/suit. As a result, I have several times left a store with no idea how much I really paid for the items I’m carrying.
I really better get a handle on that one.
Plan Ahead
I’m trying to get into the habit of spending my time in the cashier’s lineup planning my moves. Looking over the situation, thinking what might happen and how to cope. It also helps to have a point in the process where you stop and say, “Whoa. Have I done everything I should have?” Then I push all those concerns about who touched what with which gloves, and reset my mind.
It doesn’t always work, but I’m trying to develop the habit. Sort of like checking for your passport last thing before you leave for the airport. Some day, I’ll be glad I did.
The Bottom Line: Protect Yourself
The final results of the study? Two metres is a pretty good start, but pay attention to other factors. So, no matter how much we trust Dr. Bonnie when she gives us the guidelines, it behooves us to do a little thinking on our own as well. I often wonder when a pedestrian gets hit in a crosswalk how that person figured those flat, white lines on the pavement were going to protect them from that fast-moving car.
It’s the same with the guidelines the scientists have figured out and the governments have decided we should follow. They’re good ideas, but they don’t take the place of using our brains as well.
Keep yourself safe.