>> 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 EXPECT CONTINUED
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.