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Zombie Training Film: 28 Weeks Later
On Friday night, husband and I went out to see the zombie training film "28 Weeks Later." We found "28 Days Later" to be such a useful resource that we ended up buying it, and although we did not expect "28 Weeks Later" to live up to its predecessor, it got a 70% from Rotten Tomatoes and we figured it couldn't be all bad.
And, it wasn't. Not nearly as good as "28 Days Later," but I didn't walk out of the theater wanting my money back. Although, I was deeply concerned at how few people had come to see the movie with us. Don't they understand that scenarios such as these have been made to make people think about preparations for a Class 4 outbreak?
So, let's go over some of the points of the movie and see what it has to teach us.
The Infected are not zombies, but it's close enough to make for a similar situation. In a Class 3 outbreak, large areas have been overrun, and governments have collapsed. The nature of Infection and the natural quarantine of the British Isles have caused the Rage epidemic to burn itself out relatively quickly, as opposed to the slow, inexorable tide of a Solanum epidemic. In the beginning of the movie, the US Army is starting to repatriate Britons, including two children.
What went wrong? Everything! The Rage infection could have been contained even after the carrier was discovered if BASIC BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL had been followed.
The Rage carrier was found in her home, apparently sane and tolerating the virus. She was held in the medical facility. However, despite the Rage virus's classification as a Biosafety Level 4 agent (for which there is no vaccine and no cure) the medical officer tending to her had NO space suit, NO goggles, nothing but a dust mask! Intolerable! To make matters worse, either her husband was given security clearance into her area, or any old schmuck with a passcard could get in! Anyone who's had any experience with biologicals will tell you that getting into a BL4 is no small shakes, and yet her husband was able to get in and kiss her (which he should have known not to do) and start the chain all over again.
The movie did drive home that in times of outbreak, the uninfected's greatest danger may not be from the zombie population, but rather from the panicked ranks of other uninfected. In this case, the inability to tell friend from foe resulted in thousands of deaths, and the remainder of the Infected were simply driven out of the green zone after the firebombing. A better strategy would have been to destroy the bridges immediately - Infected do not appear to be able to remember how to swim - and then engage in containment activities. Repatriating to an island was wise; not using the surroundings effectively was unwise.
Once again, we come back to the first principles of outbreak: Do not investigate that strange noise, just get out; and do not go wandering around in city areas because you do not know what you will find. Children are naturally curious and the two in the movie were bored. They should not have been able to leave as easily as they did.
Lastly, among the more grievous errors depicted in the movie was taking the carrier boy out of the country. No lesson was learned from the initial spark. While it is implied that the Rage infection was spread through the Chunnel (another mistake; that should have been destroyed immediately) all that kid would have to do is spit on someone, and bang, you're right back where you started.
In the end, what started as a Class 3 outbreak was on its way to becoming a Class 4. Remember, the key to survival is knowing your enemy and following protocol!
And, it wasn't. Not nearly as good as "28 Days Later," but I didn't walk out of the theater wanting my money back. Although, I was deeply concerned at how few people had come to see the movie with us. Don't they understand that scenarios such as these have been made to make people think about preparations for a Class 4 outbreak?
So, let's go over some of the points of the movie and see what it has to teach us.
The Infected are not zombies, but it's close enough to make for a similar situation. In a Class 3 outbreak, large areas have been overrun, and governments have collapsed. The nature of Infection and the natural quarantine of the British Isles have caused the Rage epidemic to burn itself out relatively quickly, as opposed to the slow, inexorable tide of a Solanum epidemic. In the beginning of the movie, the US Army is starting to repatriate Britons, including two children.
What went wrong? Everything! The Rage infection could have been contained even after the carrier was discovered if BASIC BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL had been followed.
The Rage carrier was found in her home, apparently sane and tolerating the virus. She was held in the medical facility. However, despite the Rage virus's classification as a Biosafety Level 4 agent (for which there is no vaccine and no cure) the medical officer tending to her had NO space suit, NO goggles, nothing but a dust mask! Intolerable! To make matters worse, either her husband was given security clearance into her area, or any old schmuck with a passcard could get in! Anyone who's had any experience with biologicals will tell you that getting into a BL4 is no small shakes, and yet her husband was able to get in and kiss her (which he should have known not to do) and start the chain all over again.
The movie did drive home that in times of outbreak, the uninfected's greatest danger may not be from the zombie population, but rather from the panicked ranks of other uninfected. In this case, the inability to tell friend from foe resulted in thousands of deaths, and the remainder of the Infected were simply driven out of the green zone after the firebombing. A better strategy would have been to destroy the bridges immediately - Infected do not appear to be able to remember how to swim - and then engage in containment activities. Repatriating to an island was wise; not using the surroundings effectively was unwise.
Once again, we come back to the first principles of outbreak: Do not investigate that strange noise, just get out; and do not go wandering around in city areas because you do not know what you will find. Children are naturally curious and the two in the movie were bored. They should not have been able to leave as easily as they did.
Lastly, among the more grievous errors depicted in the movie was taking the carrier boy out of the country. No lesson was learned from the initial spark. While it is implied that the Rage infection was spread through the Chunnel (another mistake; that should have been destroyed immediately) all that kid would have to do is spit on someone, and bang, you're right back where you started.
In the end, what started as a Class 3 outbreak was on its way to becoming a Class 4. Remember, the key to survival is knowing your enemy and following protocol!
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