How do you go about avoiding becoming infected by a harmful airborne virus?
There are, of course, a number of blindingly obvious ways to do this.
However, because so many people seem to have forgotten them,
I thought it was worth posting a quick refresher.
Of course, at this point you're probably thinking that this is a video about COVID.
It isn't.
COVID has become so mixed up in politics and conspiracy theories
that making a video about preventing its spread would be a crazy idea!
Instead, this video is about how to avoid the spread of a totally made up virus ...
... that is absolutely NOT COVID.
So here's the scenario:
Imagine someone discovers a virus that makes you really smelly.
This is not your regular bad hygiene smelliness, but an obnoxious stink
that's so bad, people actually throw up or faint as they get near you!
Now imagine your mission, should you choose to accept it,
Is NOT to catch this virus.
But there's a catch. You can't just hide from everyone.
In fact, you have to attend an event where you'll be mingling
with ninety nine other potential stink virus carriers.
What do you do?
Your first step might be to find out everything you can about reducing the risks
of becoming infected.
Sadly, in this completely hypothetical scenario,
not a lot is known about the virus.
But imagine this is what we do know:
First: The closer you are to someone who's infected, the more likely you are
to get it.
Unfortunately, we don't know the exact numbers here.
But we do know that closer is bad, and further away is good.
Second: you can substantially reduce your chances of catching the virus ...
... if you wear a mask.
We also know that, if you're infected, a mask reduces the chances
of you passing the virus on to others.
Third: you can freely get a safe jab that protects you from the virus.
It's not perfect, but it does cut your chances of
smelling like a festering cesspit down by well over ninety percent.
And fourth: You can take a simple test to see If you're potentially infectious or not.
Forearmed with these facts, what are your next steps?
The most obvious one is to take the test.
It won't stop you becoming infected, but it will help you avoid infecting others ...
... and making their lives miserable.
Of course, you could be selfish, and say "there's nothing in it for me" in taking the test.
The trouble is though that, if the other ninety nine people In the room
have the same attitude, your risk of getting the virus
becomes substantially higher.
So this is one of those cases where it's probably better to lead by example.
Next, you can avoid standing so close to others that you end up
inhaling their potentially contaminated breath.
Even though we don't know what a safe distance is in this case,
the rule of thumb that further is better works pretty well here.
You can also wear a mask.
It's a pain, I know, but it will significantly reduce the risk of you
ending up smelling like a surfeit of hyper-stressed skunks.
And of course, if everyone does this, it reduces your risk even further.
And finally, you could get the jab.
It won't give you one hundred percent protection, but when used alongside other measures
it's likely to reduce the risk of infection to something that's no greater than
many of the other risks we face every day.
Of course, you could just say that it's not your problem ...
... and do nothing.
It is, at the end of the day, up to you whether you decide to
be an antisocial jerk or not.
But I'd like to think that most people are considerate enough to
think about how their actions impact others,
and act accordingly.
But there's more to it than this.
Remember, in this hypothetical scenario, your mission is not to catch the virus.
And far and away the most effective way to do this
is to do everything you can to ensure that
those around you aren't carriers.
And no matter how inconvenient they seem, being tested, wearing a mask,
keeping your distance, and getting the jab,
are the best ways to do this.
Of course, all of this is made up - the stink virus doesn't actually exist in reality.
But if you ever were faced with the challenge of mingling with others ...
... while avoiding becoming infected by a harmful virus,
the thought exercise might just be useful.
(Hypothetically speaking, of course!)