You guys, please, please, please be careful while you're having fun. I don't think this is a political issue, and I'm not trying to start a (forbidden) political discussion, just concerned for those attending...
Our local community college has banned singing and playing of wind instruments on campus during the pandemic due to the increased risk of spreading the virus as a result of these activities. The following article is from the university of Iowa, and I've read similar elsewhere as well:
https://medicine.uiowa.edu/iowaprotocols/wind-instrument-aerosol-covid-era-covid-19-and-horns-trumpets-trombones-euphoniums-tubas-recordersHere's an excerpt:
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Specific Risks of Wind Playing
The Issue of Aerosols
Much attention has been given to the risks of singing, largely because of early superspreading events. The mechanism of singing requires deep breathing, vibration of the vocal folds, active manipulation of the larynx, pharynx, tongue, and lips, and produces aerosols which can hang in the air for at least hours. Some individuals produce significantly more aerosol than others, for unknown reasons (Asadi).
Risks of playing a wind instrument are probably different than those involved in singing, though there are similarities. The flute, for example, creates a strong airflow, though other instruments do not. But airflow does not tell the whole story. Playing a wind instrument involves deep breathing, sometimes forceful exhalation, and possible aerosolization of the mucus in the mouth and nose, along with secretions from deeper airway structures. The only peer-reviewed, published study on a wind “instrument” and aerosolization investigated the vuvuzela and found significant aerosol production (Lai et al.). There is, therefore, at least a theoretical risk of droplet or aerosol transmission during wind performance, but more study needs to be done.
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But do have a wonderful time!
- Slim
