On Air Now
Heart Breakfast with JK and Amanda Holden 6:30am - 10am
Doctor says 'sit next to people you hate' to prevent coronavirus spread at work
19 April 2020, 18:17
The COVID-19 expert advised people to work alongside colleagues they dislike to slow the spread of the bug.
A medical expert has advised workers to sit next to colleagues they hate to avoid coronavirus spreading at work.
Doctor Zhang Wenhong, who is head of the COVID-19 expert team in Shanghai, told people to pull up a chair next to people "they dislike the most" to help enforce social distancing rules.
The Chinese medic, 51, believes being closer to associates you have no relationship with reduces uneccessary chitchat and helps to halt the transmission of the deadly disease.
Dr Zhang, also known as 'Dad Zhang' on social media, said during a video conference on Wednesday: "You should sit with people who don't talk much [in meetings].
"Or you can find people you dislike the most to sit with. You would only chat with people you're friendly with, you know what I mean?
"You see this person that you've never spoken to since you came into the company, try to sit next to them.
"You leave straight after the meeting, run as fast as you can," added the chief medical expert.
Read more: Police release list of 'reasonable excuses' for people to go outside during lockdown
He also suggested people "avoid doing mediocre work so that the boss wouldn't talk to you".
"When you do an amazing job, the boss would think 'there is no point talking to you since you've finished all of the work.
"If you are too terrible at your job, your boss couldn't bother speaking to you either. When you are doing mediocre work, the director would keep their eyes on you."
Read more: When did the UK lockdown start and how long will it last?
The advice comes as office staff in China slowly return to work after travel restrictions were relaxed across the country.
The COVID-19 specialist made the comments during a video conference earlier this week as he discussed the pandemic in Europe.
He answered questions from people on how best to protect themselves from the bug, which has infected over two million people worldwide.
