How to survive a pandemic

A pandemic is slow-moving compared with an earthquake, which is its one mercy: the actions that protect you are simple, and you have time to take them. The aim is to lower how often you are exposed and to be ready to look after yourself at home for a few weeks. How the illness reaches you Respiratory viruses spread mainly through the air we breathe near each other, and to a lesser extent by hands and surfaces. Everything below works by cutting one of those paths. The measures that actually move the needle Distance and ventilation. Outdoors and well-aired rooms are far safer than crowded, closed spaces. Open a window; it is the cheapest protection there is. A well-fitting mask in crowded indoor places, especially one that seals at the edges, lowers both what you breathe out and what you take in. Hand hygiene. Wash with soap for twenty seconds, or use alcohol gel, before eating and after b…