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There is a weird disconnect. Everyone seems to acknowledge the most likely way to transmit COVID is via droplets when indoor. Yet, there is little discussion

There is a weird disconnect. Everyone seems to acknowledge the most likely way to transmit COVID is via droplets when indoor. Yet, there is little discussion about ventilation. Maybe people felt like there was less they could do?

KoftaBob 6y ago
If I had to guess, it's because sanitizing surfaces all day is cheaper/easier than upgrading the ventilation system.
obelos 6y ago
I think this is it. Everyone's painting the roses red because spritzing some sanitizer on every surface costs a minuscule fraction of the massive revamping of indoor climate that's actually required to reduce risk.
ghaff 6y ago
>Maybe people felt like there was less they could do? Probably mostly that plus a lot of the attention focused on transmission by touch early on. The last event I went to in March there was no handshaking, cleaning of surfaces, etc. But no masks or distancing. But, yeah, taking additional care to clean surfaces is pretty easy and cheap. Completely redoing ventilation is going to be pretty much impossible in a lot of situations.
ehnto 6y ago
Gyms and restaurants have had their air conditioning off in Aus. Israel turned off their bus air conditioning. This isn't breaking news but I suspect it would be a new angle to the media rhetoric for a few countries and media outlets.
- Bootwizard 6y ago
  It's the middle of summer in the US so that's not going to go over well here. Just another thing for Karens to yell about and get on the news.
  - ehnto 6y ago
    Yes, well that's the trouble. Not much use in knowing what will help when no one is willing to sacrifice, that of course being the charitable view.
DoofusOfDeath 6y ago
Fluid dynamics are notoriously complicated. And AFAIK we also lack good models for how long any particular aerosol cloud remains dangerous over time / travel-distance. That makes it really hard for (most?) anyone to quantify the risk level of a particular environment, or to design a mitigation with well-understood risk/cost tradeoffs. Compare that to a simple ballistic model, where: - most adults can intuitively grasp and apply such a model, and - it's somewhat easier to calculate a risk/cost tradeoff for mitigations.
baja_blast 6y ago
That's why I wish there would be more UV sterilization going on. Maybe in addition to more air flow, have a person or mini bot go down shopping aisles and sterilize the air.

KoftaBob 6y ago

If I had to guess, it's because sanitizing surfaces all day is cheaper/easier than upgrading the ventilation system.

obelos 6y ago

I think this is it. Everyone's painting the roses red because spritzing some sanitizer on every surface costs a minuscule fraction of the massive revamping of indoor climate that's actually required to reduce risk.

ghaff 6y ago

>Maybe people felt like there was less they could do? Probably mostly that plus a lot of the attention focused on transmission by touch early on. The last event I went to in March there was no handshaking, cleaning of surfaces, etc. But no masks or distancing. But, yeah, taking additional care to clean surfaces is pretty easy and cheap. Completely redoing ventilation is going to be pretty much impossible in a lot of situations.

ehnto 6y ago

Gyms and restaurants have had their air conditioning off in Aus. Israel turned off their bus air conditioning. This isn't breaking news but I suspect it would be a new angle to the media rhetoric for a few countries and media outlets.

Bootwizard 6y ago
It's the middle of summer in the US so that's not going to go over well here. Just another thing for Karens to yell about and get on the news.
- ehnto 6y ago
  Yes, well that's the trouble. Not much use in knowing what will help when no one is willing to sacrifice, that of course being the charitable view.

DoofusOfDeath 6y ago

Fluid dynamics are notoriously complicated. And AFAIK we also lack good models for how long any particular aerosol cloud remains dangerous over time / travel-distance. That makes it really hard for (most?) anyone to quantify the risk level of a particular environment, or to design a mitigation with well-understood risk/cost tradeoffs. Compare that to a simple ballistic model, where: - most adults can intuitively grasp and apply such a model, and - it's somewhat easier to calculate a risk/cost tradeoff for mitigations.

baja_blast 6y ago

That's why I wish there would be more UV sterilization going on. Maybe in addition to more air flow, have a person or mini bot go down shopping aisles and sterilize the air.