If you just aren’t sure how to have a safe Christmas, there’s a new MIT website that offers individuals a chance to select room size, how many people will be present and for how risky your Christmas will be.
There are variables like room size, mask-wearing, ventilation and others.
Where would we be without knowing that there is more “risk” to be in a small room than a large gymnasium?
Here is one example:
*House is 2,000 square feet
*25 people inside wearing cotton masks
*Talking in a whisper (because who doesn’t when 24 other people are around)
That scenario can reduce risk of transmission by only staying inside for four hours.
Phew.
Now, cue the ominous, dark danger music…
Those same 25 people in that same house exposing their faces and talking at normal length — they only have 50 minutes.
Wait, what happened to that magic number of 15 minutes even?
Now, if you’re wanting to live on the edge this holiday season, then get those same 25 people into that same house without masks and since Christmas music! This drops the time to eight eerily dangerous minutes.
There is literally a graphic for this sort of thing.
Seriously.
Disclaimer: COVID-19 is a real illness. It can be deadly. We are not meaning to make light of the situation or the fact that people have died from the virus. Perhaps this information will make someone, somewhere feel better about celebrating something in 2020. We’d simply encourage you to do what you want to do with the understanding you could be exposed to a virus that has likely been here for a full year.
