By Matt Rooney
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If you were paying close attention to today’s Murphy COVID-19 briefing, Save Jerseyans, then you heard the Governor (11:45 minutes into the briefing) cite a Chinese study to justify keeping New Jersey restaurants closed for indoor dining.
Unsurprisingly? Given the Administration’s track record of relying on junk science? The study is bunk. Even the reliably woke Washington Post agrees.
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Here’s the clip btw:
The basic gist of the story (originally peddled by Vox):
A single diner at a South China restraurant allegedly spread the virus to nine other customers – up to 14 feet away – seated at the middle table of an indoor space! The mechanism of spread, the Governor explains, was an air conditioner.
But is that accurate?
Let’s take a look at the WashPo said about the “study” on May 28th:
“Scientists caution that the study documents a single incident and note that the restaurant’s air conditioning system was very different from those used by U.S. restaurants. “The ventilation was one-tenth of what it should be if you use standards that apply to most U.S. restaurants,” says William Bahnfleth, a professor of architectural engineering at Pennsylvania State University and chairman of the epidemic task force convened by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. He pointed to a later analysis and simulation of the incident indicating poor ventilation was the culprit.”
So the issue was shitty Chinese architecture… not indoor dining. There’s no applicability to the indoor spaces of restaurants in Bergen, Monmouth, Somerset or Cumberland counties. Yet most of the Media including NJ.com reported Murphy’s interpretation of this January (!) “study” as fact.
It’s also hard to call something a “study” when it’s based on a single alleged incident.
THIS is “the science” you’re ridiculed for questioning, folks.
