So if contact tracing focuses only on people that you've been in close contact..

[LAS14]

.... with for 10 minutes or more, why are we so worried about shopping at the super market? I don't think I've ever been in close contact with someone for 10 minutes in a super market. Can someone explain?

Got the "10 minutes or more" from Sanjay Gupta.

tia
las

[LisaL]

1. As far as I can tell, people have been infected from shopping at supermarkets.

There are people who have been sheltering in place, only gone out to shop, and still have gotten infected.

[Backseat Driver]

3. Yes, this! Inadequate masking; aerosolized droplets on surfaces and blown around

by ventilation, incomplete eradication on surfaces, asymptomatic superspreaders, dysfunctional immune systems...take your pick!

[Phoenix61]

2. I've waited in lots of lines for over 10 minutes.

The 6 foot space and masks helps.

[LAS14]

4. One of the advantages to sticking to "old peoples' hours," no long lines. nt

[Raven123]

5. Good question. The experts are frustrating us all.

I think the original recommendations arose from the black box of ignorance regarding transmission of a potentially lethal disease, with some (not regularly reported statistically) after effects, against which we have no immunity. The box seems to be more of a gray color. I’m still waiting for someone to report data to address your question. I have seen the reports of outbreaks in close working conditions, but it remains unclear to me how many documented cases have an identifiable contact. Its remarkable that given the number of infections, we can’t get more specifics. We still don’t have enough tests to do a sound prospective study. We are always chasing cases.

I look at it this way. The fewer people I contact the lower my exposure risk, so I still shop early and before stores get busy.

[whistler162]

7. We are frustrated but think how much worse

it is for them! Like a single-engine prop pilot having to learn how to fly a fighter jet in an instance.

[LAS14]

8. I can't help wondering how much of the lack of info has to do with the CDC and...

... people like Fauci being muzzled. I bet they have more hard data than they're allowed to share.

[Raven123]

10. I share your concern, but I am more upset by the fumbling which cost precious lives

Downplaying the threat of a pandemic and dismantling the response team

Ignoring the outbreak and then assuming that the virus would obey instructions not to board a flight from China and not travel through Europe

Finally and most devastating, the inherent weakness in running a health care system run like Walmart. Too much has been cut or outsourced over the years and we are paying the price.

[Doodley]

6. You could get infected with one second of contact, if there are droplets in the air, for example.

The chances are slim, but it is certainly possible. But the point is the more time you are in contact, the more likely you are to be infected. Limited resources mean not every single contact will be traced, only those who the infected person has been with for a prolonged time.

[LAS14]

9. Seems reasonable. nt

[jmg257]

11. 10 minutes is a myth...

10. You have to be with someone for 10 minutes to catch the virus

The longer someone is with a person who has it, the more likely they are to catch the virus themselves, but it is still possible to catch it in under 10 minutes.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/coronavirus-myths-explored
This article was updated on June 4, 2020