Uber Bookings Now Down 80%

There are preliminary reports that it does. [1,2,3,4,5]

But beyond this, the coronavirus family has a well-known fecal-oral route. [5,7]

It's astonishing to think that fomites coming into contact with mucosa wouldn't pose a threat. [8]

Edit: More sources added.

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[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32065057/

> It was believed that 2019-nCoV was transmitted through respiratory tract and then induced pneumonia [...] However, many coronaviruses can also be transmitted through oral-fecal route by infecting intestines. [...] Our report provides a cautionary warning that 2019-nCoV may be shed through multiple routes.

[2] https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/aga-gsa03052...

These pre-prints state and recommend:

* Viral RNA is detectable in stool of patients with suspected coronavirus; it is now clear that the virus sheds into the stool.

* Viral gastrointestinal infection and potential fecal-oral transmission can last even after viral clearance in respiratory tract.

* Prevention of fecal-oral transmission should be taken into consideration to control the spread the virus.

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7074995/

[4] https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/85315

[5] https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/02/studies-...

[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23681671/

> [...] zoonotic viruses such as respiratory coronaviruses and influenza viruses may potentially be transmitted via contaminated foods. [...] Nevertheless, these respiratory viruses were able to survive for at least several days on produce. There is therefore the potential for transfer to the hands and subsequently to the mucosa via rubbing the eyes or nose. In addition, some respiratory coronaviruses (e.g., severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus) and adenoviruses are also capable of replication in the gut and there is thus some potential for acquisition through the consumption of contaminated produce.

[7] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15654797/

> In addition to the lungs, the gastrointestinal tract is another target of SARS-CoV infection, as the intestinal epithelial cells and mucosal lymphoid tissue are infected. The findings provide possible explanations for the gastrointestinal symptoms and the presence of virus in the stool of SARS patients.

[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32088598/

> The mode of transmission may become clearer in future: usually in outbreak investigations, hindsight is easy [...]

The existence of the laws, and the actuality of most commercial kitchens, would likely surprise a lot of people who haven't worked in food service.

All the incentives say that restaurant workers must prioritize speed and "customer satisfaction" over cleanliness. As much as restaurant managers and owners would like things to be up to standard, it's typically not worth it to them if taking even one minute longer than usual causes a customer to complain to them. Customers give you shit when you're 2 minutes late, but they'll never notice or care that you took 2 minutes because you were washing your hands or cleaning the workstation.

This is what decades of "the customer is always right" has done to people. People need to change, so that the incentives change. I'm very happy to wait an extra 5 minutes if it means workers have time to breathe and wash their damn hands like they're supposed to. But if Karen doesn't get her McDongles 2 minutes faster, she's gonna need to speak to the manager and get some poor worker fired.

One less conversation means I can focus on the conversations I do want to have.