Charley was a character in UK Public Information Films in the 1970s. Here he is in ‘Charley Says Social Distancing’
“Treat everyone else as if they’re about to catch fire and you’re a lit match.”
Charley: Miaoweeaawwwoa [I can’t believe I’m writing this]
Narrator: This is you. You’re a match. And these are your friends. You catch the virus and you’re on fire. You’re too close – now all your friends are alight – you’ve infected them with the virus.
Tony, the Boy: Charley says that if ever you see a box of matches lying around, tell mummy because they can hurt you.
Narrator: We’d like the virus to spread slowly so to match the capacity of the health service. It takes a few days before your friends get ill, so you can’t see it spreading.
The virus is spreading rapidly so we need to slow it down. If you’re older or have an underlying medical condition, you need to stay apart.
That’s better. Keep apart. Treat everyone else as if they’re about to catch fire and you’re a lit match.
Charley: Awoooarwah.
SOCIAL DISTANCING. DON’T GET TOO CLOSE
For advice on COVID-19, see:HM Government NHS (UK National Health Service) WHO (World Health Organization) US CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) US NIH (National Institutes of Health)
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YmN0iV3f0I
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/Dr_D_Robertson/status/1241307225626423296