Hi everyone
I would love your scientific viewpoints on this.
I'm trying to work out the level of risk of catching coronavirus in my apartment block. The actual apartments are sealed off from one another (apparently) though I always know when my neighbour downstairs has made toast! But I'm not worried about that, she's 85 and staying home for the whole of this crisis.
What I'm wondering about, is there's a window I long to open, especially now as it's getting hot, but to the left and right of it, about 3 - 4 metres away, are the bathroom windows of my neighbours. Not something that's ever bothered me before, but I know that when people flush toilets, any germs are aerosilised, so would fly out of their open sky light windows and maybe travel through my window. Maybe not a problem if I was nowhere near the window, but I'm a metre from it sat at a desk.
Of course all this is assuming a neighbour has the infection, but just wondering, would you have it open at a time like this? I have other windows but they don't seem to bring in the breeze as much as this one.
Also would you use a portable air conditioner during this pandemic. I imagine the concern there is for others rather than for myself as the air con extracts hot air into the street below. There are people walking by about 2 - 3 metres down. You cannot feel the hot air from the street at all, it disperses before then, but I'm thinking of viral particles (that's assuming there's infection in my home, I'm not ill but I don't want to add to this pandemic by pumping virus out of my windows, so just looking for considered scientific answers). Also wondering if the way air con operates it is swirling air around my apartment and therefore it may move germs about for me inside. I don't think my apartment is particularly well sealed off from my immediate neighbour. When he goes in and out of his front door he is literally standing in front of mine with only about a foot from him and the door. So I have assumed that my front door is a riskier area and I don't stand near it, etc, only go there if I'm going out or coming in. So I don't really want swirling air around my apartment if the risk is considered to be high right now.
If it's felt that either of these things carry significant risk then it's simple, I won't do them. I'll put up with it for as long as necessary, but I'm just wondering if I'm being a little bit ocd as other people don't seem to worry so much and they all have their windows open.
Thanks
I would love your scientific viewpoints on this.
I'm trying to work out the level of risk of catching coronavirus in my apartment block. The actual apartments are sealed off from one another (apparently) though I always know when my neighbour downstairs has made toast! But I'm not worried about that, she's 85 and staying home for the whole of this crisis.
What I'm wondering about, is there's a window I long to open, especially now as it's getting hot, but to the left and right of it, about 3 - 4 metres away, are the bathroom windows of my neighbours. Not something that's ever bothered me before, but I know that when people flush toilets, any germs are aerosilised, so would fly out of their open sky light windows and maybe travel through my window. Maybe not a problem if I was nowhere near the window, but I'm a metre from it sat at a desk.
Of course all this is assuming a neighbour has the infection, but just wondering, would you have it open at a time like this? I have other windows but they don't seem to bring in the breeze as much as this one.
Also would you use a portable air conditioner during this pandemic. I imagine the concern there is for others rather than for myself as the air con extracts hot air into the street below. There are people walking by about 2 - 3 metres down. You cannot feel the hot air from the street at all, it disperses before then, but I'm thinking of viral particles (that's assuming there's infection in my home, I'm not ill but I don't want to add to this pandemic by pumping virus out of my windows, so just looking for considered scientific answers). Also wondering if the way air con operates it is swirling air around my apartment and therefore it may move germs about for me inside. I don't think my apartment is particularly well sealed off from my immediate neighbour. When he goes in and out of his front door he is literally standing in front of mine with only about a foot from him and the door. So I have assumed that my front door is a riskier area and I don't stand near it, etc, only go there if I'm going out or coming in. So I don't really want swirling air around my apartment if the risk is considered to be high right now.
If it's felt that either of these things carry significant risk then it's simple, I won't do them. I'll put up with it for as long as necessary, but I'm just wondering if I'm being a little bit ocd as other people don't seem to worry so much and they all have their windows open.
Thanks
Last edited: