New CDC Guidelines Say Vaccinated Runners May Resume Blowing Snot on Whoever Happens to Be Nearby
/
Depositphotos.com
As COVID cases fall and more Americans become vaccinated, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday that fully vaccinated runners can resume blowing “snot rockets” indiscriminately. The announcement reverses earlier guidelines that urged restraint and discretion when expelling mucus near others.
“Vaccinated individuals who are exercising outdoors may once again safely engage in rapid nasal mucus dispersal,” the CDC said in a statement, using the scientific term for the practice commonly known as the snot rocket or farmer’s blow.
The technique, popular among runners and cyclists, involves pressing one nostril shut with a finger while forcefully expelling air through the other, sending the contents of that nostril flying.
Runners nationwide welcomed the CDC’s announcement, calling it one more step toward a return to normal.
“This is great news,” said Robert Goddard, 34, a runner in Worcester, Massachusetts. “For more than a year now, I’ve been unable to to clear my nostrils during my runs, worried about possibly spreading (coronavirus). Having the green light to do so again, without having to worry about who’s around me and how near they are, is such a relief.”
Reginald Dwight, 50, of Taupin, New Jersey, agreed.
“Not being able to spew snot whenever and wherever I wanted was awful,” Dwight said. “I’m glad to have that freedom back.”
“USA!” he added.
