According to a new study, published in Physics of Fluids, airborne transmission of COVID-19 is highly random and social distancing is not enough on its own to control the spread of the virus.

Engineers from the University of Cambridge used computer modelling to ascertain the spread of droplets when people cough. In the absence of masks, a person with COVID-19 is capable of infecting another person at a distance of two meters, even in an outdoor setting, stated the study.

The investigators also noted that individual coughs vary widely and the safe distance could be anywhere between one and three or more meters. The study suggests that social distancing alone is not effective at controlling the spread and emphasizes the significance of vaccination, ventilation and mask wearing… (India Today – PTI, November 25, 2021)