#HTE

The Socially-Awkward, Pre-Vaccine Way to Ride in Elevators?

No less than three anti-COVID vaccines are on the horizon, though approval–and more importantly, distribution–will take time. Access will differ by region and country.

Until V-Day arrives worldwide, office building managers have a problem: We need to get the economy going, but how do you pack a tall building with workers who would rather not die when the cure is so close? Elevators are the big problem, as they’re a great way to breathe someone else’s air. That’s why a hospital in Thailand has been asking people to ride elevators in this odd-looking manner since March:

Unsurprisingly, sticker companies are capitalizing on the practice:

It’s a lot cheaper for building managers to slap these stickers on than to retrofit expensive ventilation/air purification systems. And if I had to ride in an elevator I’d adhere to this–even though there are no published scientific figures on how much protection this confers.

Heck, I can name at least three socially-awkward acquaintances who would probably prefer to ride elevators this way, even after the pandemic is over.