Thursday 28 May 2020

Some Advantages of being Anti-Social


I haven't had a cold for a very long time, and wonder if the precautions against the corona virus have helped. I suppose they must have blocked other infections too, and while colds were rarely fatal they were a great nuisance. It would be good to avoid them.

We can't stay locked away indefinitely, but a great deal of social interaction could be avoided. We need to work, and shop, and many of us would find it hard not to encounter others in the process, though the 'lock down' has taught us to reduce the number of those encounters.

Leisure activities involve a great deal of unnecessary interaction. We could easily dispense with crowded places of entertainment. Theatrical performances, films, concerts and sporting events could all be watched on line. Tourism could be replaced by an augmented Google Earth. With less travel there could be fewer visits to restaurants - eating together must involve an exchange of bacteria and viruses, especially when the eating is accompanied by conversation, a potent way of generating infectious aerosol droplets.


1 comment :

Frank Little said...

It occurred to me also that although there will be this year a burden of excess deaths due to Covid-19 (and arguably goeernment not taking at least social isolation measures early enouhg) these will be offset slightly by the drop in numbers of people succumbing to respiratory infections by bacteria and other viruses.