% >> READY OR NOT, WISCONSIN
% IS REOPENING FOR BUSINESS,
% INCLUDING WATER PARKS,
% RESTAURANTS,
% BARS AND GIFT SHOPS.
% SO HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT
% ACTIVITIES ARE SAFE
% AND HOW DO YOU BEST PROTECT
% YOUR FAMILY?
% PROFESSOR EMERITUS PAT REMINGTON
% IS WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF
% WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF
% POPULATION HEALTH SCIENCES,
% AND PROFESSOR REMINGTON JOINS US
% THIS WEEK WITH HIS INSIGHTS.
% THANKS A LOT FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO, FIRST,
% WHAT IS YOUR BELIEF
% AS TO WHETHER OR NOT
% THE TIME IS RIGHT
% TO START REOPENING THE ECONOMY?
% >> WELL, I CERTAINLY THINK
% IT'S TIME.
% THE QUESTION IS NOT 'WHEN WE
% DO IT' BUT MORE 'HOW WE DO IT.'
% WE KNOW THERE ARE RISKS OF
% COVID-19 BEING TRANSMITTED FROM
% PERSON TO PERSON AND THAT RISK
% WILL CONTINUE FOR A LONG TIME.
% SO WHAT WE SHOULD DO IS
% UNDERSTAND THE SCIENCE
% AND THE EVIDENCE ABOUT HOW
% RISK IS DETERMINED,
% HOW THE VIRUS IS TRANSMITTED
% FROM PERSON TO PERSON.
% AND THEN,
% ONCE WE UNDERSTAND THAT,
% THEN TAKE THOSE STEPS: BABY
% STEPS AT FIRST, AND THEN,
% EVENTUALLY, WORK TOWARDS A
% COMPLETE OPENING OF A BUSINESS.
% >> EVEN AS WE START TO DO THIS
% NOW,
% SHOULD WE THEN EXPECT SPIKES IN
% POSITIVE CASES?
% >> WELL, WE WILL EXPECTCONTIN
UED
% TRANSMISSION.
% DESPITE THE NUMBER OF CASES
% AND THE NUMBER OF DEATHS,
% THERE'S A LARGE PORTION OF THE
% POPULATION THAT'S SUSCEPTIBLE
% SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE
% TRANSMISSION FROM PERSON TO
% PERSON.
% WHAT WE WANT IS THOSE SPIKES
% TO BE VERY SMALL
% AND TO BE CONTAINED THROUGH
% ISOLATION OF SICK INDIVIDUALS
% AND THEN CONTACT TRACING.
% IF WE DO THAT, THEN WE
% CAN KEEP THOSE SPIKES--
% WHAT I LIKE TO THINK ABOUT IS
% SMALL GRASS FIRES THAT YOU CAN
% PUT OUT,
% AS OPPOSED TO A BIG FOREST FIRE
% THAT OVERWHELMS
% OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM'S ABILITY
% TO CARE FOR PEOPLE.
% >> NOTWITHSTANDING THE FACT
% THAT IT'S ALMOST BECOME
% KIND OF A POLITICAL MESSAGE,
% IS IT YOUR BELIEF THAT WE ALL
% SHOULD BE WEARING MASKS?
% >> WELL, I THINK WEARING MASKS
% IS AN IMPORTANT DEMONSTRATION
% OF YOUR CONCERN ABOUT SPREADING
% THE ILLNESS TO OTHERS.
% AND THERE'S GOOD EVIDENCE:
% BOTH EPIDEMIOLOGIC,
% BUT ALSO EXPERIMENTAL
% THAT IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE SICK
% AND NOT KNOW IT
% AND YOU COUGH, OR SNEEZE,
% OR EVEN BREATHE,
% THAT WEARING A MASK WILL KEEP
% THE VIRUS FROM SPREADING
% THAT'S-- TO THAT SIX-FOOT RANGE.
% SO, WE DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE SICK.
% LOTS OF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE
% SYMPTOMS OR YOU DEVELOP--
% YOU ARE CONTAGIOUS
% BEFORE THOSE SYMPTOMS DEVELOP
% SO PUTTING A MASK ON
% IS JUST IN CASE I'M SICK
% AND I DON'T KNOW IT
% OR JUST IN CASE
% I'M ABOUT TO BECOME ILL.
% I'M GONNA REDUCE THE RISK THAT
% I'LL INFECT SOMEONE ELSE
% AND THERE'S GOOD EVIDENCE
% ON THAT.
% SO, IT'S I THINK IT'S A GOOD
% THING TO DO.
% PARTICULARLY IF YOU'RE GONNA BE
% IN A SHOPPING CENTER
% OR IN A HAIR SALON, CLOSER
% THAN THAT SIX-FOOT RANGE,
% THAT'S AN EXTRA A BIT OF
% INSURANCE TO MAKE SURE
% YOU DON'T TRANSMIT THE VIRUS
% TO SOMEONE ELSE.
% >> WELL, SPEAKING OF WHICH,
% I WANTED TO KIND OF TICK DOWN
% SOME OF THE KINDS OF ACTIVITIES
% THAT PEOPLE MIGHT BE DOING
% AND ASK YOU WHETHER OR NOT IT'S
% YOUR BELIEF THAT THESE ARE SAFE,
% INCLUDING RESTAURANTS AND BARS.
% WHAT ABOUT THAT?
% >> WELL, AGAIN,
% I THINK INDOOR SPACES
% ARE HIGHER RISK THAN OUTDOORS.
% SO, IF A RESTAURANT OR A BAR CAN
% SEAT PATRONS OUT OF->> OUTDOORS,
% THEN THAT WILL REDUCE THE RISK.
% ALSO, IF WE KNOW THAT THE
% SIX-FEET IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED
% DISTANCE THAT IS SAFER
% THAN BEING CLOSER TO THAT.
% SO, IF IT'S A RESTAURANT OR BAR,
% THAT CAN SEAT PEOPLE AT A
% DISTANCE OF SIX FEET OR MORE,
% THEN THAT MAKES IT A SAFER.
% BUT ANYTIME YOU GO INDOORS,
% YOU ARE AT RISK
% OF COMING INTO CONTACT WITH
% SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE SICK.
% SO, THERE'S A RISK,
% BUT WHAT WE WANNA DO IS KEEP
% THAT RISK AS SMALL AS POSSIBLE.
% >> YOU KNOW,
% A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING,
% "WELL, POOLS SHOULD BE SAFE
% BECAUSE THE CHLORINE
% KILLS THE VIRUS."
% WHAT ABOUT THINGS
% LIKE POOLS AND WATER PARKS?
% >> WELL, AGAIN, I THINK--
% AS LONG AS PEOPLE CAN STAY
% PHYSICALLY DISTANT,
% SIX FEET OR MORE,
% THEN OUTDOOR PLACES ARE BETTER
% THAN INDOOR PLACES.
% WE KNOW THAT
% FROM RESEARCH STUDIES.
% BUT THE RISK IS THAT
% YOU GO TO A PLACE LIKE A POOL
% AND IT GETS CROWDED
% AND ALL OF A SUDDEN,
% YOU DON'T HAVE
% THAT PHYSICAL DISTANCING
% BUT WE KNOW OUTDOORS- THE SUN,
% THE WIND, JUST A DRYING EFFECTS-
% WON'T HELP THE VIRUS BE
% TRANSMITTED
% SO THAT REDUCES THE RISK.
% AND I THINK, AS LONG AS YOU CAN
% MAINTAIN THAT SIX-FOOT DISTANCE.
% OBVIOUSLY, WEARING A MASK IS NOT
% PRACTICAL WHEN YOU'RE SWIMMING
% SO THAT EXTRA PROTECTION
% WON'T BE AVAILABLE,
% BUT I THINK AS LONG AS YOU
% MAINTAIN PHYSICAL DISTANCING
% AND ENGAGE IN GOOD HAND HYGIENE,
% SHOULD YOU TOUCH SURFACES
% THAT MIGHT BE CONTAMINATED,
% THAT THOSE PLACES
% WILL GENERALLY BE SAFE
% FOR PEOPLE TO VISIT.
% >> YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE
% THE KIND OF SAFER AT HOME
% OR STAY AT HOME ORDERS
% HAS SET IN KIND OF A FATIGUE
% OVER ALL OF THAT,
% AND YOU'RE INCREASINGLY SEE,
% KIND OF, GROUPS OF CHILDREN AT
% PLAYGROUNDS.
% WHAT ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT,
% LIKE PLAY DATES AND EVEN GOING
% BACK TO SCHOOL?
% >> WELL, I THINK IT GETS BACK
% TO, AGAIN,
% UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE RISKS FOR
% TRANSMISSION ARE.
% FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU'RE ILL, NOT
% FEELING WELL,
% OBVIOUSLY STAY AT HOME
% AND SELF-ISOLATE.
% BUT EVEN IF YOU'RE WELL AND YOU
% GO OUT AND YOU'RE THINKING
% YOU'RE GONNA BE CLOSER
% THAN SIX FEET TO AN INDIVIDUAL,
% THE USE OF A MASK WILL REDUCE
% THE RISK SUBSTANTIALLY.
% SO, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD THING
% TO DO,
% SHOULD YOU GATHER IN YOUR
% BACKYARD WITH NEIGHBORS.
% AND THEN, FINALLY, JUST
% ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL DISTANCING.
% IT'S NOT HARD TO SET TABLES
% SIX FEET APART.
% IT'S NOT HARD TO HAVE LAWN
% CHAIRS THAT ARE SET FAR APART.
% I'VE SEEN IT
% IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
% I'VE SEEN IT DOWN IN THE
% UNIVERSITY BAY FIELDS
% WHERE PEOPLE ARE GATHERING,
% BUT THE CHAIRS ARE SPREAD FAR
% APART.
% THAT KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW
% ABOUT THE VIRUS,
% BEING OUTDOORS IN THE WIND AND
% THE SUN,
% AND BEING PHYSICALLY DISTANT,
% CERTAINLY THERE IS
% A POTENTIAL RISK,
% BUT THAT RISK IS VERY SMALL.
% >> ALRIGHT, DR. PAT REMINGTON,
% THANKS VERY MUCH.