4 ms·
It's a small state with a lot of people packed next to each other. Lots of people use public transit... subways are less than six feet apart.
by WrtCdEvrydy 7y ago
It's a small state with a lot of people packed next to each other. Lots of people use public transit... subways are less than six feet apart.
- nicoburns 7y agoIf the NY subway is anything like London, people will be less than 6 inches apart at rush hour. I imagine that will have played a big part in the spread in both of those cities.
- credit_guy 7y agoYes, the subway is the correct answer. That's how this virus spread like wildfire in NYC. Second reason could be the elevators in the tall buildings (there are plenty of those).
- rocha 7y agoA counter argument is that the same didn't happen (or hasn't happened yet) in cities that also have massive public transportation systems like Tokyo or Seoul. There is probably many confounding factors, such as mask use, no talking on the subway, etc, to make pointing to one particular factor very hard. EDIT: typo
- cmurf 7y agoThose cities see more widespread use of masks generally. And specifically once COVID-19 was common knowledge, so was the use of masks. Widespread mask usage doesn't happen in NYC, same as the rest of the U.S. It's very recent this is practiced in the U.S., whether voluntarily or by order of a handful of local governments. And in my local area where it's not mandatory I only see about 3 in 4 using masks.
- ummonk 7y agoAnd Japan has a culture of talking quietly which greatly reduces droplet transmission even beyond the practice of wearing masks. NYC has a culture of yelling.
- nicoburns 7y agoDo you get yelling on the subway in NYC? Passengers in London famously don't even make eye contact.
- rocha 7y agoYep, I agree with you. I was trying to make the point that massive transportation is not the only factor at play. Like you said, there are many others that should be considered.
- badfrog 7y agoI don't think that fully explains it. There are plenty of European cities of similar density to NYC that haven't been hit nearly as hard. Naples Italy, for example.