With festive seasons around the corner, one of the most popular activities (before Covid-19) was going to the buffet. When it’s all you can eat, you can bet us Malaysians are not going to leave anything to chance. Sapu only! But with the current pandemic going on, we’re most probably not going to see a buffet in the near future.
And that might just be a good thing, because just recently, hosts of a popular Japanese television show on the NHK network conducted a simple experiment to find out how easily viruses can be transmitted through bodily fluids (in this case, spit) in a buffet setting. Consulting unnamed experts on viral transmission, the show’s hosts simulated a buffet on board a cruise ship.
Ten people were gathered in a room, and one of them had their hands coated in flourescent paint (to simulate cough droplets), before they they were allowed to interact with both the food and each other.
After 30 minutes, the studio crew then tuned off the lights, and the results were shocking to say the least.
Most surfaces were revealed to be covered in a layer of flourescent paint, indicating where the ‘cough droplets’ from the infected individual had managed to be transferred, with the hands of many participants showing the same glow-in-the-dark residue!
Given the results of the simple but no less effective experiment, it is probably a good idea that we avoid buffets at this point in time!
What do you guys think of the results of this experiment?
Also read: Can Covid-19 Spread Through Farts? Medical Experts Break it Down For Us