Let's just magically change the rules...(spoilers)

Agreed, it's a little late in the game to adopt this now. I recall 4 or 5 seasons ago people on the old discussion board had vehement arguments about even whether a bite from a zombie would guarantee infection, it was that uncertain. And now all of a sudden, undead innards can be used for biological warfare purposes, like medieval battles where the plague dead were shot over the castle walls. Is everyone in the writer's room too new on the team to raise an objection about this? Or are they all too dense to remember?

Really good observation and point.

that was beyond stupid even for TWD.

Back on here to see what the hot topic of the show is now. To clarify, it is out of the comics, and it works well within the comic book universe because the characters were smart enough, for the most part, to not get walker blood anywhere on their physical person.

Problem is, this show since Season 2 has had multiple scenes in which our characters get shot with arrows that had been previously used to kill walkers, and live somehow. Characters will stab or attack a walker at close range, even dig their hands into a walker’s skull (Daryl season 5), and turn out fine. Hell, characters will get walker blood sprayed on them near the face and basically anywhere on skin for the sake of having a scene where blood sprays on our characters and gives Talking Dead something to talk about, especially now since it went from 30 minutes to 1 hour since Talking Dead has been on the air.

Within the TV universe, the walker rules or zombie guts and blood NOW only apply in service to the plot, rather than the plot being in service to the established rules.

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I'm not sure it's going to kill people the way they think it will. They could get sick with a curable infection like what happened to Gabriel, and would only die if they don't treat it fast enough or with the right antibiotic. They very well could change the rules, but up to now, a bite is the only thing we know will guarantee an incurable infection.

This was discussed on Talking Dead after the episode. Basically the point was that since the science on how people started becoming infected in the first place is so unclear, pretty much anything goes. (After all, for all we know it could be an airborne pathogen, which would explain why "everyone is infected".)

They also mentioned the scene back when Negan and father Gabriel were trapped in a trailer, and they had that exchange about smearing themselves with walker guts, Gabriel said that people from his group had done that multiple times, and Negan asked if anyone ever got sick from that, which was supposed to signify that Negan saw that happen.

And ever since father Gabriel has been struck down with some mysterious illness.

Yeah. Numerous examples of zombie juice getting in eyes/mouths/open wounds that they're now going to try and justify with 'they got lucky'.