Governor Baker likens COVID-19 virus transmission to party glitter

Michael P. Norton

Gov. Charlie Baker has been talking publicly about COVID-19 since March, often searching for new ways to express his message.

On Friday morning, while speaking at an online executive forum, Baker said someone asked him to explain the transmission situation in a way that’s really easy to understand. The governor said yes, and then asked listeners if they’ve ever had a party for their kids where glitter was used. “So, one person brings the glitter. How many leave with it on them?” the governor said. “And the answer is basically everybody. And that is in fact the challenge with this thing.”

The governor went on to explain how COVID-19 can be invisible in its transmission and how infected people may not be symptomatic for two to five days, but can infect other people during that time. “By the time you figure out you’re actually symptomatic, you could easily give it to all kinds of other people who will then you know take their two to five days and some of them may not even get that symptomatic and just think they have you know allergies or, you know, a cold or something else. And then some people get wicked sick,” the governor told the Associated Industries of Massachusetts forum.