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When Will It Be Safe to Sing Together Again? When Will It Be Safe to Sing Together Again?
(1 day later)
Imagine the scene: You’re at church, belting out a hymn, and the sound is so joyful that you turn, smiling, to look around. You notice a spray of spit coming from the mouth of the person next to you: One particularly large droplet arcs toward the person in front, then lands, right on their neck.Imagine the scene: You’re at church, belting out a hymn, and the sound is so joyful that you turn, smiling, to look around. You notice a spray of spit coming from the mouth of the person next to you: One particularly large droplet arcs toward the person in front, then lands, right on their neck.
Three months ago, you might have thought that moment was gross. Today, you’d probably find it frightening.Three months ago, you might have thought that moment was gross. Today, you’d probably find it frightening.
In the space of a few months, group singing has gone from being something life-affirming to a potential source of disease, even death. Outbreaks of the coronavirus have been linked with choir rehearsals and church services in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and, this month, South Korea.In the space of a few months, group singing has gone from being something life-affirming to a potential source of disease, even death. Outbreaks of the coronavirus have been linked with choir rehearsals and church services in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and, this month, South Korea.
Some countries have banned group singing as a result, and scientists are studying the risks. But with conflicting messages from the authorities worldwide, singers are left for now with little but anxiety.Some countries have banned group singing as a result, and scientists are studying the risks. But with conflicting messages from the authorities worldwide, singers are left for now with little but anxiety.
To many scientists and doctors, the risk of singing is clear. “It’s not safe for people to simply return to the choir room and pick things up,” Lucinda Halstead, the president-elect of the Performing Arts Medical Association, said in a telephone interview.To many scientists and doctors, the risk of singing is clear. “It’s not safe for people to simply return to the choir room and pick things up,” Lucinda Halstead, the president-elect of the Performing Arts Medical Association, said in a telephone interview.
William Ristenpart, a chemical engineer at the University of California, Davis, who has studied how disease-carrying particles spread during speech, said in a Zoom interview that he “would strongly agree with the assessment that singing, especially indoors in enclosed spaces, is a terrible idea right now.”William Ristenpart, a chemical engineer at the University of California, Davis, who has studied how disease-carrying particles spread during speech, said in a Zoom interview that he “would strongly agree with the assessment that singing, especially indoors in enclosed spaces, is a terrible idea right now.”
The most obvious reason singing is a risk for virus transmission is that droplets of saliva can spray from someone’s mouth, just like when they cough, Professor Ristenpart said. Those droplets can be made out of the mucus that coats the lungs and larynx, and could contain virus particles.The most obvious reason singing is a risk for virus transmission is that droplets of saliva can spray from someone’s mouth, just like when they cough, Professor Ristenpart said. Those droplets can be made out of the mucus that coats the lungs and larynx, and could contain virus particles.
But a potentially bigger issue comes from particles you can’t see, called aerosols, he added. Those are so light that they travel “wherever the air currents take them,” Professor Ristenpart said.But a potentially bigger issue comes from particles you can’t see, called aerosols, he added. Those are so light that they travel “wherever the air currents take them,” Professor Ristenpart said.
“Think of it like smells,” he said. “If someone on the other side of your house starts baking chocolate-chip cookies, eventually you smell the chocolate aroma.” In a poorly ventilated room, aerosols would accumulate.“Think of it like smells,” he said. “If someone on the other side of your house starts baking chocolate-chip cookies, eventually you smell the chocolate aroma.” In a poorly ventilated room, aerosols would accumulate.
There is uncertainty over whether aerosols spread the virus, but Professor Ristenpart said outbreaks among some choir groups would suggest they had played a role, especially since the attendees in some cases said they had followed social-distancing rules.There is uncertainty over whether aerosols spread the virus, but Professor Ristenpart said outbreaks among some choir groups would suggest they had played a role, especially since the attendees in some cases said they had followed social-distancing rules.
Professor Ristenpart’s research has focused on speech, but other researchers are studying aerosol production from singing specifically. In May, members of the Bavarian Radio Chorus, a choir in Munich, took part in experiments organized by the Ludwig Maximilian University in which choristers inhaled vapor from an e-cigarette and then sang, so researchers could see the plume of aerosols that emerged and watch how it behaved. Matthias Echternach, the project’s lead researcher, said in a telephone interview that he hoped to reveal preliminary results this month.Professor Ristenpart’s research has focused on speech, but other researchers are studying aerosol production from singing specifically. In May, members of the Bavarian Radio Chorus, a choir in Munich, took part in experiments organized by the Ludwig Maximilian University in which choristers inhaled vapor from an e-cigarette and then sang, so researchers could see the plume of aerosols that emerged and watch how it behaved. Matthias Echternach, the project’s lead researcher, said in a telephone interview that he hoped to reveal preliminary results this month.
Professor Echternach said his group had also looked at whether wearing a mask had an impact on how aerosols spread, as a potential — if hot and uncomfortable — way to minimize risk. The researchers have also studied the effects of wearing a plastic face shield, he said. A boy’s choir in Austria had started to rehearse wearing those, he added, but in his team’s experiments, the aerosols simply hit the shield, then spread out around it and into the room. “They’re meaningless,” he said. “Unfortunately.”Professor Echternach said his group had also looked at whether wearing a mask had an impact on how aerosols spread, as a potential — if hot and uncomfortable — way to minimize risk. The researchers have also studied the effects of wearing a plastic face shield, he said. A boy’s choir in Austria had started to rehearse wearing those, he added, but in his team’s experiments, the aerosols simply hit the shield, then spread out around it and into the room. “They’re meaningless,” he said. “Unfortunately.”
Governments and health authorities around the world have taken different approaches to turning this scientific advice into rules and guidelines. Health officials in the Netherlands, where more than 100 choristers became ill after a single concert in Amsterdam, have advised against all “joint singing activities.” In Germany, the rules vary by region: In some, choirs can rehearse with 10 feet between singers; in others, group singing is banned, including at religious gatherings. (When a church near Frankfurt ignored the rules on May 10, it led to a cluster of infections.)Governments and health authorities around the world have taken different approaches to turning this scientific advice into rules and guidelines. Health officials in the Netherlands, where more than 100 choristers became ill after a single concert in Amsterdam, have advised against all “joint singing activities.” In Germany, the rules vary by region: In some, choirs can rehearse with 10 feet between singers; in others, group singing is banned, including at religious gatherings. (When a church near Frankfurt ignored the rules on May 10, it led to a cluster of infections.)
In Norway, 50 people or fewer can sing together, as long as everyone keeps at least a meter, or three feet, apart. Just over half the country’s choirs have returned to practice, said Asmund Maehle, the secretary general of the Norwegian Choir Association, in a telephone interview.In Norway, 50 people or fewer can sing together, as long as everyone keeps at least a meter, or three feet, apart. Just over half the country’s choirs have returned to practice, said Asmund Maehle, the secretary general of the Norwegian Choir Association, in a telephone interview.
In the United States, the question of whether and how groups can safely sing together is becoming more urgent, as states allow houses of worship to open across the country. In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance that churches should ensure choirs at services follow social distancing, revising previous advice that said they should “consider suspending or at least decreasing” singing in services.In the United States, the question of whether and how groups can safely sing together is becoming more urgent, as states allow houses of worship to open across the country. In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance that churches should ensure choirs at services follow social distancing, revising previous advice that said they should “consider suspending or at least decreasing” singing in services.
The same month, Dr. Halstead of the Performing Arts Medical Association spoke on a two-and-a-half-hour long webinar co-organized by the association, which has been widely viewed and discussed among America’s choirs. In it, she was asked: “Can you imagine a safe way to have a rehearsal right now?” Her answer was blunt: “No, I can’t.”The same month, Dr. Halstead of the Performing Arts Medical Association spoke on a two-and-a-half-hour long webinar co-organized by the association, which has been widely viewed and discussed among America’s choirs. In it, she was asked: “Can you imagine a safe way to have a rehearsal right now?” Her answer was blunt: “No, I can’t.”
Updated June 30, 2020
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
She quickly clarified the comment, saying that if “it’s a small group and it’s outside and the wind is not at your back,” the risk of catching the virus while singing would be reduced. But she said that until there was a vaccine or rapid testing, no one should be returning to choir rehearsal as they had known it before the pandemic, with many of singers gathered in a room. A vaccine could be over a year away, she added.She quickly clarified the comment, saying that if “it’s a small group and it’s outside and the wind is not at your back,” the risk of catching the virus while singing would be reduced. But she said that until there was a vaccine or rapid testing, no one should be returning to choir rehearsal as they had known it before the pandemic, with many of singers gathered in a room. A vaccine could be over a year away, she added.
Her comments sparked panic among some choirs and singing teachers in the United States — one podcast said comments in that webinar were a “death sentence.” But in a telephone interview, Dr. Halstead said people should realize changes to rehearsals would only be temporary, and that singing in small groups was still possible.Her comments sparked panic among some choirs and singing teachers in the United States — one podcast said comments in that webinar were a “death sentence.” But in a telephone interview, Dr. Halstead said people should realize changes to rehearsals would only be temporary, and that singing in small groups was still possible.
In the webinar, she had even given some examples of creative approaches to rehearsing and performing safely, she added: A local barbershop quartet in Charleston, where she lives, had been practicing outside with social distancing; a choir in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was singing in weekly streamed services by spreading out in an empty church.In the webinar, she had even given some examples of creative approaches to rehearsing and performing safely, she added: A local barbershop quartet in Charleston, where she lives, had been practicing outside with social distancing; a choir in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was singing in weekly streamed services by spreading out in an empty church.
“I know what I said made a lot of people depressed,” Dr. Halstead said. “For a singer, if they can’t use their voice, they’re completely disabled. It affects their self-worth, it affects everything.”“I know what I said made a lot of people depressed,” Dr. Halstead said. “For a singer, if they can’t use their voice, they’re completely disabled. It affects their self-worth, it affects everything.”
But, she added, “People have to be patient.”But, she added, “People have to be patient.”
“This is only temporary,” she said. “God understands you can’t sing right now.”“This is only temporary,” she said. “God understands you can’t sing right now.”