We have been discussing the truly disgusting teenage prank of licking ice cream at food stores and then posting the act on social media. Now, there is a far more chilling variation of teenagers coughing on fruits and vegetables and posing their acts to terrify other shoppers.
The Purcellville Police Department and other police departments are investigating the trend. There have been sporadic reports of individuals with Corona intentionally trying to spread the virus.
The police have been trying to deter the licking prank with criminal charges. Previous cases have resulted in felony charges of tampering with a consumer product. This latest variation could be subject to even more stringent sentencing given the threat of the pandemic and the desire to cause public panic. The act can be defined as a terroristic threat in some states. However, even the felony tampering charges can result in a decade or more of jail time.
News of this prank has arisen at the same time that disturbing new research shows that this remarkably contagious virus can live on surfaces longer than anticipated. A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the virus is live for up to three hours in aerosols, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.