Originally published at: Does holding your breath while walking past others help prevent Covid-19? | Boing Boing
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Holding your breath / exhaling: the plastic dashboard jesus of our times.
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Hold my breath while masked = Permit my eyeglasses to unfog for a moment
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I’ve been doing this reflexively with absolutely no confidence that it was anything but my own personal superstition. Nice to hear that maybe it’s not just me being a weirdo.
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I have taken to wearing my mask pretty high up (though still within reason) to prevent this same thing from happening and it is not awesome, but fortunately I don’t have to go out too often. It’s the worst.
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I find myself doing this without thinking about it if I walk past someone who is unmasked (which, where I live and the few places I go is pretty infrequent luckily).
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I’m holding my breath, right now.
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I’ve been holding my breath for the past two mi
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Breath of fresh is what you need.
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“Holding your breath is good but if you breathe out, it’s even better, because you then blow any virus away,” he says.
Including the virus that comes from your own mouth. Into the air. That others might inhale.
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When I was a kid, whenever we drove from San Diego to Orange County we were told to hold our breath as we went under the San Onofre power plant lines to save us from nuclear radiation. I suspect this is more helpful.
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It’s scientifically proven to be your best bet.
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yeah I’m guessing most of us nervous folk have 
And now it’s cemented into my consciousness. Thanks anxiety.
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I have caught myself doing this occasionally, like when a bovine lopes into my personal space, but obviously it makes about as much sense as holding your breath to avoid smelling a fart, i.e. not effective outside of a very narrow set of circumstances
It keeps you from inhaling farts. So it’s worth a shot.
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But much of the point of a mask is to prevent spreading covid if you have it. Telling people to exhale more as they pass other people seems really selfish and bad public health policy
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The point wasn’t to blow out as you’re passing them:
(That said, what else are you going to do after you’ve held your breath? Never exhale again?)
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I’ve been doing this since last Feb. If I see a maskhole approaching I inhale prior to closest approach and then slowly exhale as I pass thru their exhalation cloud. I also instinctively judge wind speed and direction to time my inhale/exhale appropriately. A long slow exhale until I pass thru their fomite cloud (thanks maskhole!) Making a big point of crossing the street or stepping aside also sends a subtle message. I always wear a mask outdoors if anyone is within 50 meters. Now double-masking at the grocery and trying to decrease frequency of shopping.
No point in arguing with them really, just exposes you to more of their possible contagion. But staring Mitt Romney eye-daggers at them and a furrowed brow, youbetcha!
Signed up for the vaccine in my Northern CA county, but judging by the questions they asked it will be summer by the time I get jabbed. Tho I do know a handful of HC front line workers who are vaccinated and one teacher who is a neighbor (she got lucky). Soon oh soon the light!
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I’m lucky enough not to have crippling anxiety, but am basically playing out worst case scenario every minute of every day. When COVID hit and everyone learned how to wash their hands properly (apparently for the first time), Mrs Peas commented, “Oh, this is what you do all the time!”
She also said the same during the insurrection. She was right both times.
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Exactly my reaction: “what, you do it too”?
This means that:
- either we are not weird, or
- we are indeed weird, but the same way.
So it’s 1 or 2 ?
