Suddenly thermometers are everywhere:

College classes
NYSE trading floor
Apple stores

Temperature checks seem to be the latest solution to the how-to-open-in-a-pandemic problem. But are they actually worth the hassle? https://trib.al/lyka2kE 

Constant temperature-taking might turn out to be mainly security theater – that is, an effort that tries to make us feel better without regard to whether it actually makes us safer http://trib.al/lyka2kE 

Scientists have yet to identify a specific fever pattern tied to Covid-19, and most people who are infected and have a fever will be displaying other symptoms, too.

In other words, they’ll be easy to spot http://trib.al/lyka2kE 

Temperature screening will miss a lot of carriers:

It’s estimated that as many as 35% of all those infected with coronavirus are asymptomatic, so they likely won’t have a fever at all http://trib.al/lyka2kE 

Studies of the relationship between fever and Covid-19 are all over the place:

One found fever is present in 82-87% of mild or moderate cases
Another suggested that, of those admitted to hospitals, only 30% had a fever

We just don’t know http://trib.al/lyka2kE 

Fevers have countless causes, many not related to infectious disease. Strenuous exercise can raise body temperature, too.

How many people will be wrongfully blocked from boarding the plane because they were briskly walking to the gate with luggage in tow? http://trib.al/lyka2kE 

What even counts as a fever? The CDC and WHO define it as a body temperature above 100.4℉, but that’s based on research published in 1868.

Many in the medical profession disagree http://trib.al/lyka2kE 

That 19th-century figure is based on a normal body temperature of 98.6℉.

We now know normal body temperature is closer to 97.5℉. Does that mean we ought to keep people with a 99.3℉ fever out of the shopping mall? http://trib.al/lyka2kE 

On top of all that, our thermometers might be wrong.

Those that measure temperature in the ear tend to be more accurate than those that measure from a distance. Which doesn’t bode well for all those thermal cameras employers rushed to purchase http://trib.al/lyka2kE 

We should also consider the potential for invasions of privacy.

The rise of automated temperature monitors that scan people from a distance might transform the workplace into a realm of constant health surveillance of employees http://trib.al/lyka2kE 

If we really want to screen people for Covid-19 before allowing them to mingle, the loss of the sense of smell may be a stronger indicator that a person is infected.

Instead of temperature checks, maybe we need to have everybody sniff a scented candle http://trib.al/lyka2kE