{"id":2837,"date":"2021-02-04T18:30:05","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T18:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1337382"},"modified":"2021-02-04T18:30:05","modified_gmt":"2021-02-04T18:30:05","slug":"dont-talk-or-make-phone-calls-on-public-transport-its-a-covid-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=2837","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t talk or make phone calls on public transport \u2014 it\u2019s a COVID risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article was originally published by Christopher Carey<\/a> on <\/span>Cities Today<\/span><\/a>, the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders. For the latest updates follow Cities Today on <\/span>Twitter<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Facebook<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Instagram<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>YouTube<\/span><\/a>, or sign up for Cities Today News.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

To curb the spread of COVID-19, the <\/span>French Academy of Medicine<\/a> \u2013 an independent body of leading French doctors and scientists \u2013 has called on commuters to \u201cavoid talking or making phone calls\u201d on metros, buses, or anywhere in public where social distancing is not an option.<\/p>\n

Masks have been mandatory on public transport in France since May, but concerns about travelers disobeying the rules or removing them to talk on the phone or to others have prompted the call.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mandatory wearing of masks on public transport, where social distancing is not possible, should be accompanied by one very simple precaution: avoid talking and making phone calls,\u201d the body said in a statement on Friday.<\/p>\n

While it is not the government\u2019s official advisory body, the academy can respond to questions and issue recommendations.<\/p>\n

France currently has some of Europe\u2019s strictest lockdown measures, with a curfew in place from 6pm to 6am and restaurants and bars closed since October.<\/p>\n

Last week the French government issued a decree banning certain homemade masks being worn in public, saying they do not offer sufficient protection from more contagious COVID-19 variants.<\/p>\n

Three types of masks will be recommended under the new rules: surgical, FFP2, and fabric masks made to Category 1 standards.<\/p>\n

French Health Minister Olivier V\u00e9ran said the decree came after recommendations from government health experts but was criticized by the Academy of Medicine which says there is a \u201clack of scientific proof\u201d that homemade masks do not offer sufficient protection \u201cif worn properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Read: How much does it cost to buy, own, and run an EV? It\u2019s not as much as you think]<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Airborne risk<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The potential risks posed by talking on public transport have already led some transit agencies to issue recommendations to passengers.<\/p>\n

Barcelona\u2019s <\/span>Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona<\/a> (TMB) \u2013 the company in charge of the city\u2019s metro and buses \u2013 has created a campaign urging commuters to remain silent on all networks to stop the spread of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

Posters and messages on the public address system of the city\u2019s transport services remind passengers to avoid talking, with similar measures being introduced in La Rioja and the Balearic Islands following recommendations from health experts.<\/p>\n

Mar\u00eda Cruz Minguill\u00f3n, a researcher at the <\/span>Spanish National Research Council<\/a> <\/span>(CSIC), told local media that \u201cpeople shouting or talking on the phone can emit up to fifty times more particles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people were afraid [to travel] because it\u2019s difficult to keep a secure distance on public transport, but with measures such as banning eating or drinking, and remaining silent, we reduce the risks,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The campaign is just a recommendation, however, and non-compliance does not currently lead to any sanctions.<\/p>\n

A recent <\/span>study<\/a> published in <\/span>The Royal Society<\/a><\/em> journal found that tiny droplets released while speaking could carry the virus over long distances and potentially linger longer in the air when compared to larger droplets emitted while coughing.<\/p>\n

Researchers concluded it was unsafe to stand without a mask two meters away from an infected person who is talking or coughing, with both situations posing an infection risk.<\/p>\n

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Published February 4, 2021 \u2014 18:30 UTC <\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article was originally published by Christopher Carey on Cities Today, the leading news platform on urban mobility and innovation, reaching an international audience of city leaders. For the latest updates follow Cities…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2837"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}