As Lewis Carroll might say, curious and curiouser. That’s the thought that came to mind as I read about the story I’m about to discuss with you.

In Houston, Texas, (why do these stories always seem to come from either Texas or Florida?), a mother was charged with child endangerment for putting her 13-year-old son in the trunk of her car. Why, you might ask? It seems the lad had tested positive for the coronavirus, and so she had him ride in the trunk so as to avoid exposing herself while shuttling him to a drive-thru clinic for further testing. That’s the curious part.

Curiouser is trying to imagine what she hoped to accomplish through such an extreme action. After all, didn’t she get back into the same closed car compartment he had been breathing into? Was she sharing the same home? Where was her son before this positive test? Because unless she was keeping him in trunks and cryo chambers prior to receiving this positive result, I’ve got a news flash: she was already exposed.

That’s the way pathogens work. Most of them are cleverly ingenious, and are contagious before the symptoms even start. This means by the time someone receives a positive test or starts showing symptoms, that person has likely been shedding live viruses and infecting those around them for quite some time. This is precisely why these contagions are so hard to get in front of.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions to limit exposure. Face masks and self-quarantine for the infected can help reduce spread and lower the viral load for those nearby, both of which can help. But it DOES mean that a 15 minute car ride isn’t going to make a discernible difference after several days of close contact with someone whose been infected.

Think, people, think! I know this coronavirus thing has gotten everyone on edge, but let’s not lose our heads. I take no pleasure whatsoever in reporting on this mother’s unenviable predicament. She now must deal with both CPS an the justice department–a combo far scarier and more destructive than any coronavirus variant. And all for a rather silly miscalculation on her part.