---
title: "Man Wears Personal Plastic Tent on Flight to Avoid Deadly Virus"
description: "US business man and certified genius Rick Pescovitz was seen wearing a personal, transparent tent in a window seat on a flight to avoid the coronavirus."
date: "2020-02-07"
modified: "2020-02-07"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/man-personal-plastic-tent-flight-virus"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "coronavirus"
  - "the digest"
---

# Man Wears Personal Plastic Tent on Flight to Avoid Deadly Virus

![US business man and certified genius Rick Pescovitz was seen wearing a personal, transparent tent in a window seat on a flight to avoid the coronavirus.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/genius-personal-plastic-tent-flight-virus.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: BoingBoing\</em\>*

## Personal Quarantine

A US businessman named Rick Pescovitz wore a personal, transparent tent in the window seat of a commercial airliner.

Pescovitz — the brother of *BoingBoing*'s David Pescowicz, who [blogged about the ordeal](<https://boingboing.net/2020/02/01/personal-anti-contamination-te.html>) — says he was reportedly to avoid contracting the deadly coronavirus that's been claiming the lives of hundreds of people around the world.

## Under the Weather

But it was mostly a publicity stunt. Pescovitz is the CEO of StadiumPod, a company that makes tiny tents called "Under the Weather Pods" for sports spectators — and proud soccer moms and dads — who want to stay dry while it rains. Pescovitz even [went on Shark Tank](<https://youtu.be/oJJanx_kN44>) to pitch the idea.

Sounds like Pescovitz has decided to reframe his tents as personal quarantine zones. According to *BoingBoing —* remember, this is the dude's brother writing — "the flight attendant happily took his photo" and the man sitting next to Pescovitz "didn't even bat an eye."

## Stay Safe

It's unclear how effective the tent actually would be at fending off a virus — and if Pescovitz said yes to a cup of coffee.

If you don't want to shell out for your own personal tent, experts advise to treat the coronavirus much like the common flu: wash hands regularly and be wary of touching possibly contaminated surfaces.

**READ MORE:** [Personal tents for airplane passengers to avoid coronavirus](<https://boingboing.net/2020/02/01/personal-anti-contamination-te.html>) \[*BoingBoing*\]

**More on the virus:** *Scientists Warn: You Can Catch Coronavirus More Than Once*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)