Japan adopted “3 Cs” of #Covid19 prevention in February 2020
🦠 Avoid CLOSE contact situations, keep distance
🦠Avoid CROWDS, risks are higher
🦠Avoid CLOSED, poorly ventilated space, virus spreads like smoke indoors
😷 Wear MASKS
Science-based rules work
Japan (population 126 million) is now trying to control the ~latest wave~ of coronavirus, with cases running at record levels of 3,000 to 4,000 a day, of which about 1,000 are in Tokyo’
‘Cold and stale air conditions allowed coronavirus particles to travel more than 8 meters (26 feet) at a German slaughterhouse, a study showed, giving an insight into how meat plants turned into hotspots for infections across the world’ bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
2/3 of ~all~ workplace outbreak cases in Ireland have been in meat/poultry/fish processing plants (that’s fewer than 150 buildings)
6 outbreaks are currently open, range 3 to 72 cases in open outbreaks
So Ireland INCREASED coal burning in the middle of an ENVIRONMENTAL pandemic where air pollution makes both virus spread & respiratory illness WORSE.. because ‘two electricity lines exported electricity to Britain, where prices were higher’ #COVID19ireland irishtimes.com/business/energ…
Moneypoint, Ireland’s largest electricity generating station, is coal burning & the countries largest emitter of greenhouse gases @ESBNetworks@EPAAirQuality
Moneypoint location & air quality on @BreezoMeter this morning (prevailing winds from south west)
Environmental conditions are really bad for #Covid19 spread this week- very low temperatures, low absolute humidity, light winds, high environmental pollution
This will not give #lockdown drop in cases of April/May
@BreezoMeter last night, many homes burning solid fuel in 0°C
Science denial from @VFIpubs on @morningireland
.. 2 metre distance is not safe, #Covid19 builds up quickly & spreads like cigarette smoke indoors, pubs & restaurants are the highest risk of large super-spread events, & it’s proven internationally #pubs
(does this really need saying)
Covid doesn’t know if it’s a gastro pub or wet pub, or after closing time, or what the Level is, or what your dinner cost, or if you ate it, or if you’re 6km away, or only went in for 10 minutes
You catch it by inhaling virus in shared indoor air
HIQA advice to NPHET:
🦠 large numbers of clusters consistently observed [in] bars, nightclubs, restaurants, gyms
🦠 & many associated with superspreading events & large numbers of cases
🦠indoors, crowds, no masks, talking/singing, poor ventilation hiqa.ie/reports-and-pu…