Medical clinicians and researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Oxford University got together to answer a very important question. They wanted to know is three or six foot social distancing safer. Or more precisely one or two meters which is much same thing.
Is Three or Six Foot Social Distancing Still Meaningful
The researchers discovered there is no simple answer to the question. That’s because the binary option assumes all droplets are the same size, and all circumstances the same. They propose using a new, graduated approach, because they believe it will allow more freedom in low risk settings. But greater protection when the risk is high.
However, they are also careful to point out that individual parameters also play a role too. These include susceptibility to infection, shedding rate, indoor airflow patterns, and juxtapositions between nearby people. There’s also evidence of low humidity increasing infection spread, but that proof is incomplete.
How Should We Apply This Information in Practice
Whether we ought to maintain three or six foot social distancing, depends on whether we wear a face mask, and how many people are nearby. Their level of activity also plays a role, as does the ventilation in enclosed areas.
Let’s say we need to travel to the next station on the New York Metro, for example. We could be safer if we walked or cycled down quiet streets than if we rode the train. The depth of the subway also has a bearing according to Richard Fisher writing for BBC Future, because depth affects ventilation.
A bus full of silent passengers should be a safer bet if we choose to use public transport. Compared to a subway car full of singing sports fans belting out noisy chants. We hope you found this information useful, as we did when we researched it.
We are beginning to understand why the infection rate is increasing among young adults. While older folk face-masking and three or six foot social-distancing seem better off.
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