Want to Avoid Coronavirus in the City? First, Stop Touching Stuff.

At a time of growing fear around the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, it’s not hard to tumble into a spiral of catastrophizing. Even the most mundane interactions of urban life suddenly feel like a high-stakes gamble: Gripping a subway strap, a doorknob at the co-working space, an e-scooter handlebar, or a jug of half-and-half at the coffee shop means swapping germs with who-knows-how-many other people. Suddenly, the epidemiological dimensions to the “sharing economy” have become obvious. Even if you’re young, healthy and not as susceptible to a fatal dose of the disease, the risk of carrying the infection to more vulnerable populations is frightening, too.

Along with the virus itself, there’s a ton of viral misinformation circulating. To learn more about the highest-risk urban places and practices, and how to protect yourself and others, CityLab spoke with Martin J. Blaser, director of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at Rutgers University’s Biomedical and Health Sciences department, and Jason Farley, a nurse practitioner at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s infectious diseases division.