This 'gross' TV ad shows how quickly the Covid-19 virus can spread

A Scottish Government advert is using green slime to show how easily coronavirus can be spread around your home.

The brief but grim ad shows a young woman leaving slime all over surfaces in her granddad's home to reinforce the country's "don't kill your grandparents" message, according to Metro UK.

In the film, the young woman gives her granddad a hug and then makes him a cup of tea, leaving the slimy green "virus" all over the mugs, kettle and cupboards in the kitchen.

She's also shown watching clips of a night out on her phone, implying that's where she caught the virus.

Then her granddad is shown covered in slime as he thanks her for the cuppa.

The video ends with the message "Don't pass coronavirus to those you love".

Photo / Scottish Government

UK viewers have said the advert, which includes a horror-film kind of soundtrack and dim lighting, really "brings home the risk of not following the guidelines correctly".

One Twitter user called it "simple but excellent", and another said that if the virus was so visible in real life, people would take it "100 per cent more seriously".

But others have slammed the "divisive" advert for "scaremongering", particularly as it blames younger generations for spreading Covid-19.

Some were concerned that older people could be isolated as relatives would be too worried about spreading the virus to visit.

British governments have spent millions on public messaging and campaigns since the pandemic hit - is it time for New Zealand to follow suit?

Apart from the clinical "this is a Covid-19 announcement" ads on TV and radio, New Zealand doesn't have an equivalent.

Maybe it's time to apply the same Kiwi ingenuity we pour into our drink-driving and flying safety ads to messaging about how to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Public Health England spent £44 million ($85m) between March 23 and June 30 on advertising. The spend was almost 5000 per cent more than the same time period last year, including ads on radio, TV, newspapers and billboards.

Scotland recorded its biggest single daily rise in Covid-19 cases yesterday, when 486 people tested positive in 24 hours.

This article was first published on the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.