Study finds six-feet rule may not protect from COVID-19 indoors

The six-feet rule initially suggested by health experts for social distancing from others will not be able to prevent COVID-19 transmission while indoors, a new study has found.

The study published in a journal- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) read: “Compliance to the six-feet rule will … substantially reduce the risk of … large-drop transmission.”

“However, the liquid drops expelled by respiratory events are known to span a considerable range of scales, with radii varying from fractions of a micron to millimeters.”

The researchers say there is “overwhelming evidence” that indoor airborne transmission associated with “micron-scale” aerosol droplets plays a “dominant role in the spread of COVID-19,” especially so-called superspreader events.

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They say, depending on the ventilation and airflow in the space, keeping six feet of distance is no different than 60 feet.

To limit the spread of COVID-19, even if you are vaccinated, experts recommend wearing masks while indoors, practicing social distancing and washing hands.

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