Making Sense of Plexiglass and the Vice Presidential Debate
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Despite the president’s Covid-19 diagnosis and the outbreak spreading throughout the White House, Wednesday’s vice-presidential debate in Salt Lake City has not been canceled. This is due, in part, to a sheet (or sheets) of plexiglass, which is expected to be used as a barrier between vice-presidential candidates Mike Pence and Kamala Harris at the debate.
Meanwhile, Pence’s team has resisted the move, calling the plexiglass “medically unnecessary.” Pence has tested negative for the coronavirus and has no symptoms, though he is being tested daily.
Politics aside, what, if anything, can a sheet of plexiglass actually do? As science journalist Robert Roy Britt writes: Not that much. A transparent pane might help prevent the spread of large droplets, but it won’t do much for decreasing the risk of aerosols, tiny airborne particles that can travel farther than six feet and would have no problem migrating around a sheet of plastic.
One expert tells Britt that it’s like fencing your yard. “It’ll keep the neighbor’s dog out, but not their birds.” Read more here:
