Surviving Corona In The City
BY RTN. DR. AASHISH CONTRACTOR
THREE DISCLAIMERS:
- This article is aimed at an urban office-going, white collar demographic
- It represents my personal views on the subject, culled from the scientific and non-scientific reading I have done so far, and is meant to be a general guide on how to avoid catching the virus
- The information here is current as of Monday, September 11th, 2020, 7:16 pm (yes, that’s how often our knowledge on the subject changes!)
How does the virus spread?
Mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets, produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. Through the droplets, the virus can fall on the mouths or noses of people nearby and may be inhaled into the lungs. The closer you are to the person, higher the chances of the droplets falling on you. Recent research has also shown that it can be spread through aerosols. These have shown to be ‘alive’ for a period of up to three hours, leading to the fear of airborne transmission.
However, whether you get the infection will depend on the fight put up by the immune system, against the total amount of virus attacking you, also known as the viral load. Higher the viral load you are exposed to, higher is the chance of you catching the infection (distance and masks reduce the viral load).
What do we know for sure?
The most important ways of avoiding it: 1. Physical distancing (I prefer this term to ‘social distancing’) 2. Masks (any type, from N95 to a simple home-made face covering) 3. Hand hygiene The situations which put you at highest risk summed up nicely by the Japanese health ministry as the 3 ‘Cs’: 1. C- Closed spaces with poor ventilation 2. C- Crowded places 3. C- Close contact settings, such as conversations
Some common scenarios:
What about going to office?
If you have your own cabin, the risk is very low, even if it’s a small room and you have the air conditioning on. But it should be a stand-alone AC, since a common unit could potentially spread the virus from one area to another. Avoid having people come in frequently and when they do, leave the door open for better circulation and keep the meeting time brief (with masks on, of course).
If you do not have your own cabin, then physical distancing is vital. Maintain at least ten feet distance from someone next to you. Six feet is the ‘official’ recommended distance, but 10 is better. Have windows open to allow ventilation. The larger the room, the safer it is. In office settings, people often let their guard down while talking during lunch or around the water cooler.
But, how do I get to office, or elsewhere?
Driving your own car is the safest means of transport. No need to wear a mask while you are by yourself in the car! Travelling in a crowded train or bus is the riskiest environment to be in.
Driver/Ola/Uber:
Ensure both the driver and you have your mask on. Leave the windows down to allow free flow of air. The driver’s seat cordoned off by a plastic curtain is good. Sanitize hands once you are out of the vehicle.
Can I go to the Club?
Most sports activities where distance can be maintained are safe by themselves. Often, it’s the congregation after the activities, or in the dressing room, which are the problem. Closed room activities, such as billiards or card rooms, should definitely be avoided.
Exercising outdoors, whether at the club or elsewhere is generally safe and healthy, since exercise builds immunity. A big question that pops up, is whether to wear a mask or not – with a lot of misinformation being spread on whatsapp. 1. Exercise improves your immunity, for which moderate-intensity exercise is best. 2. When exercising outdoors, if you are able to maintain a 20 foot distance from others, it would be fine to let your mask (guard) down. When unable to maintain the distance, put it back on. 3. Exercising with a mask, may lead to a greater subjective perception of effort, so you may need to reduce your exercise intensity. 4. There are no ill effects of wearing a mask. If you feel uncomfortable while exercising with it, or have any serious health conditions, please speak to your doctor.
What about food delivery or other parcels arriving at home?
For viruses to spread via containers, an infected person needs to have ‘shed’ virus on the package, through sneezing on it, and you need to then touch the package (while the virus is still alive), and touch your mouth, nose or eyes, before you wash your hands. And, a sufficient amount of virus must be transmitted through this route for you to get the infection. While this is possible, it’s an unlikely route of transmission. However, it’s good practice to wash your hands after handling outside packages, to keep risk to a minimum.
Can I meet with family and friends?
We have been deprived of the company of our loved ones for so long, and now that we are ‘allowed’ to meet, we shouldn’t let our guard down. But that’s exactly what happens. I think this is because of a subliminal belief that our near and dear ones, cannot pass on the virus to us. Sadly, this is far from the truth, and whether we like it or not, most of those infected would have caught it from those ‘nearest’ to them, pun intended.
Getting back to the question – it’s safe to meet, but you should not let your guard down. Avoid physical contact, and keep your masks on at all times. Most socializing also involves eating and drinking, at which point the mask has to be lowered, but at those times make sure there is adequate physical distance. And do keep in mind, that alcohol tends to loosen social inhibitions, and masks!
What’s your risk appetite?
I don’t think that many of us dwell on this, but on a daily basis we are taking decisions which carry risk, which we subconsciously assess and decide whether to proceed or not. The simple act of crossing the road, walking in the rain, or even boiling water for tea carries an element of risk, which may not be as obvious as the risk involved in skydiving, bungee jumping or criticizing your wife’s cooking. And, so it is with our novel enemy, the Coronavirus.
Apart from living completely by yourself in the wilderness with no human contact, every other situation carries the possibility of catching the virus. It’s a continuum of risk ranging from minimal to very high and you need to understand the relative risk of each activity and proceed as per your risk appetite. Each of the activities described above can be undertaken, but within each of them it’s important to be aware of the micro-environment and keep your risk to a minimum.