Pit of Doom

It would appear that our latest attempt to calm Swine Flu paranoia has also backfired.  Now we can't get people to go within 100 yards of the Pit of Beakers, because they think that it is accumulating virus.  Even if the Beakers were infected with flu virus - which they're not, since the only people touching them are wearing safety suits, masks and rubber gloves - but even if they were, the virus doesn't live for ever.  Otherwise you couldn't move without catching it.  To try to accommodate these people, we are now broadcasting the Breaking of Beakers by webcam in the Great Hall.