Scientists warn coronavirus can travel through the air for ‘tens of metres’ indoors
- More than 200 researchers from over 30 countries warn that tiny respiratory droplets can infect people over a much further distance than the WHO’s one-metre minimum rule
- Their letter to a scientific journal warns that the risk is higher indoors and there should be more focus on better ventilation and avoiding crowded spaces
Tiny droplets carrying the coronavirus can travel for “tens of metres” indoors, according to scientists who warned the current safety advice from public health bodies like the World Health Organisation does not go far enough.
Most guidelines focus on the risks from respiratory droplets – for instance those spread by coughing – and close contact, but the scientists said there was also a danger from smaller droplets that can linger in the air and are capable of travelling much further than the 1-2 metres (3-6ft) that current social distancing guidelines recommend.
The scientists also warned there was a particular risk of the virus spreading indoors, particularly in crowded or inadequately ventilated rooms, saying: “At typical indoor air velocities, a 5-micrometre droplet will travel tens of metres, much greater than the scale of a typical room.”
The warning comes as governments around the world are struggling to find a balance between containing the disease and reopening businesses such as restaurants, shops and cinemas.
The letter was signed by 239 scientists from more than 30 countries – specialising in everything from virology and epidemiology to building engineering – and was published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases on Monday.