An aerial view shows circles painted on the grass in San Francisco’s Washington Square Park to encourage people to keep their distance from each other. This photo was taken on May 22, 2020.
Josh Adelson/AFP via Getty Images
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Josh Adelson/AFP via Getty Images
We regularly answer frequently asked questions about life in the age of COVID-19. If you have a question you’d like us to consider for a future post, please email goatsandsoda@npr.org Subject line: “Coronavirus Issues.” See Our FAQ archive here.
We all remember the early days of the pandemic. I once ran outdoors wearing a mask when no one was around. (Imagine my relief when I learned that outdoor air is effective at repelling pathogens). I wipe down groceries to prevent them from becoming contaminated. (Experts now say it’s reasonable to wash your hands thoroughly after touching things.)
I try to stay 6 feet away from…well, everyone in public. That’s what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in 2020.
Then, in newly released transcripts of a congressional hearing earlier this year, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the 6-foot rule was “kind of new” and “not based on data.”
People who have never been a fan of physical distancing are excited! Haha, the CDC was wrong!
It’s already summer 2024.
The new variant is not thought to be as likely to cause severe illness as past variants. But some people are at greater risk of severe COVID-19 because of their age or frailty. No one wants to get sick before or during their trip.
So, the most common question is: Does it help to stay away from others who may have COVID-19? Or has the concept of distance been debunked?
To answer these questions, let’s start by taking a deeper look at distance.
Did they just imagine “6 feet” out of thin air?
The idea behind the CDC recommendations is that leaving space between yourself and others is one way to avoid people with coronavirus from breathing in the pathogen.
Is 6 feet just a made-up number? After all, the World Health Organization only recommends 3 feet as a safe zone.
A somewhat strange (and relatively ancient) history lesson may provide a clue.
In the late 1800s, scientists asked people to gargle with bacteria (editor’s note: yuk) and then…talk. crazy!
What happened? “They saw bacteria landing on a plate about 6 feet away,” said aerosol expert Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech.
“But if they waited longer (several hours) to collect the plates, giving the respiratory particles time to drift around the room and settle, they would see bacteria landing on the plates much farther than 6 feet away,” she added road.
So, yes, 6 feet is not the magic number to avoid airborne pathogens.
That’s not to say that if you advance an inch further you’ll suddenly be in danger territory. It’s more like a speed limit, the Doctor suggests. Abraar Karan is an infectious disease researcher at Stanford University. “There’s no data to suggest that 55 mph is significantly safer than 56 mph. But you have to have a reasonable limit.”
ABC of transmission
Now let’s take a detour a little further and consider how the coronavirus spreads. Early in the pandemic, the idea was that sick people expelled relatively large, moist droplets that could come into contact with others. These water droplets will eventually fall to the ground due to gravity.
But Marr said that by 2024, “there’s not a lot of evidence to support” this route of transmission. (She won a MacArthur “genius” grant last year for her research.)
How far can aerosols fly? “The distance depends on their size and air currents,” she said. “Their path could easily be hundreds of feet before reaching the ground.”
So, yes, you could theoretically be much more than 6 feet away from a sick person and still fall victim to the pathogens they exhale. but….
Why distance still matters
Here’s the thing: Even with a revised understanding of COVID-19 transmission, the closer you are to someone with COVID-19, the higher your risk of contracting the virus.
“As you get further away from the infected person, the aerosols become more dilute, so the chance of inhalation [particles] It usually decreases with distance,” Marr said.
As an analogy, Marr suggests you think about cigarette smoke. Smaller coronavirus particles “behave like cigarette smoke. If you are close to someone who is exhaling a lot of smoke, you will be exposed to more smoke than if you are further away. The farther away, the better.”
Need more convincing? In a study of an infected business class passenger spreading the coronavirus on a plane, the infected passenger was also seated in business class. The study was published in emerging infectious diseases In 2020, the report said: “We found a clear association between sitting in close proximity to Case 1 and the risk of infection.”
Let’s sum it up with a quote from Marr: “Distance matters, but there’s nothing magical about 6 feet.”
Karan’s observation: “People have always known this. You want to stay away from people who look visibly sick. While your family and friends may warn you to stay away from them if they feel sick, you can’t count on that happening. In a group of strangers.
Security layers
So, the bottom line is this: maintaining some distance from others can help, but should be considered one of many strategies to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.
The time you spend with your patients is important. If you rush into a store and breeze past a group of customers, some of whom may have COVID-19 or other illnesses, your chances of becoming infected are “very low,” Callan said. The less time the better (although again, there is no magic number).
You might try keeping your gatherings outside—outdoor air is your best friend when it comes to spreading pathogens.
If you have COVID-19 or have been vaccinated, this can help you fight off new infections or at least reduce the severity of the disease if you do get it.
A good quality mask (such as an N95 or K95) that fits well and wears correctly (without leaving the nostrils exposed) is the gold standard. You can’t always control the distance factor, said the infectious disease professor and Ph.D. Preeti Malani of the University of Michigan. “But masks are very effective,” she said. “So how much does it cost to wear a mask on a plane? It’s really nothing!
Abraar Karan noted that he and colleagues at the hospital where he works did wear masks when seeing patients with respiratory illnesses but did not contract the coronavirus.
And keep some COVID-19 testing kits at home or in your travel supplies, just in case you develop symptoms of allergies, colds… or COVID-19.
How do you know what to do? Our experts say: It depends…it depends on you.
“If you’re worried about COVID-19, you’re the one responsible for it,” Malani said. “No one else will protect you.”
You might step up your protective measures if…
Your age or medical history puts you at higher risk for serious illness.
You are a caregiver to someone at risk.
You’ll venture into an indoor location with lots of strangers – a gym, a rock concert, a crowded bus, subway, or airplane.
You’re planning a trip or family gathering and want to make sure you don’t accidentally infect more vulnerable family members.
You can also do something for the welfare of humanity. This involves distance.
“I can’t stress this enough,” Malani said. “If you’re not feeling well, don’t put others at risk.” In other words, stay home!
