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Science

Coronavirus rules: How much physical distancing is enough?

Physical distancing is important. But a set distance rule does not do justice to the way viruses actually spread, British researchers say. And the CDC warns: Infections can occur after only a few minutes of exposure.

  • Children entering a school with a sign reminding them to keep 1.5 meters distance

    Keep your distance, please!

    These are the coronavirus rules as we know them: Keep a distance of 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6 feet) from others, observe good hygiene and wear a mask. But this does not do justice to the complex reality of how aerosols spread, researchers from Oxford and London (UK) and Cambridge MA (US) have written in an analysis published in the British Medical Journal in late August.

  • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stretches his arms out in a school classroom.

    This much? Or more?

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tried to show schoolchildren how it should be done. But what does his gesture mean exactly? Do his fingertips have to be 1.5 meters away from the fingertips of another person? That would be a reasonable interpretation of the regulations. But two arm lengths alone measure 1.5 meters, so distances of 4.5 meters or more could easily result.

  • A boy in Senegal pulling the legs of a sheep

    Are sheep lengths better?

    The Icelandic Association of Sheep Breeders has established its own rules: Two sheep lengths are appropriate to avoid infection. One may wonder if face masks are also supposed to be knitted from real sheep's wool. This young shepherd in Senegal may be trying to find out how long a sheep is by pulling its hind leg. The Icelanders already know — exactly 1 meter.

  • A woman walking four small dogs on leashes

    Natural spacers

    Of course, this could also work. The standard length of a dog leash corresponds pretty exactly to the current coronavirus rules. Could it be a coincidence that a six-foot leash is usually prescribed for places where leashes are compulsory?

  • A man coughing and spitting out droplets.

    Where does the 2-meter rule come from?

    The authors led by Lydia Bourouiba, an expert in fluid dynamics and disease transmission at MIT, writes that the rule is outdated. Two meters was the distance recommended by the German physician C. Flügge in 1897. Visible droplets that he had caught within this distance were still contagious. A 1948 study showed that 90% of streptococci coughed out in droplets flew no further than 1.7 meters.

  • People sitting in circles marking correct distancing on a lawn on the banks of the river Rhine near Düsseldorf.

    Two meters are not enough

    The 1948 study was published in the American Medical Journal. It also showed that 10% of streptococci flew much further: up to 2.9 meters. If that were the case, perhaps the people on this lawn on the banks of the Rhine in Dusseldorf would be safe — if every other circle remained free. But wait a minute — we are not dealing with streptococci (bacteria) here, but with viruses.

  • An experiment with a man singing - showing the extent of his breath reaching deep into the room.

    Viruses spread via aerosols

    Viruses are much smaller than bacteria, so they can float around for hours and spread better in the air. This is why the researchers recommend that the distance between people should not be the only safety criterion but that other factors should be considered, too: How well a room is ventilated, whether people are wearing masks, and whether they are silent, speaking softly or singing and shouting.

  • People sitting outside in an African village, listening to a presentation about coronavirus hygiene.

    Do not sing or cough

    Numerous studies have also shown that coughing can propel veritable parcels of viruses up to 8 meters through the air. Speaking or singing loudly also spread a lot of aerosols and droplets about the room. If, however, people only speak quietly, as in a library, and sit in the fresh air, safe distances can be smaller again.

  • Students wearing a mask in a class room.

    How long should I stay in the room?

    The duration of a stay in a contaminated room and how many people are in that room are also decisive factors when assessing the risk of infection. The researchers have used those factors to develop a traffic light model. The clear result: In rooms with a high occupancy, you should generally stay only for a short time, make sure they are well aired, wear a mask and speak quietly.

  • A prison cell with a prisoner and a guard (picture-alliance/empics)

    One minute is enough to get infected

    Even very brief contact can be enough to transmit SARS-CoV-2. The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) had to tighten its rules on October 21, after a prison guard caught SARS-CoV-2 from prisoners with whom he had only had contact with for a few minutes at a time. Now, "close contact" is defined as being within 2 metres of an infected person for at least 15 minutes cumulatively within 24 hours.

  • A crew member on a cruise ship is measuring out the distances between chairs on the sun-deck.

    No mask needed here

    Here, however, the traffic light of the UK-US research team would show green. Outside, people can be safe for long periods of time even without a mask, provided there are few people around, everything is well ventilated and no one talks much. But even so, will the distance between deck chairs being measured here be enough?


  • Children entering a school with a sign reminding them to keep 1.5 meters distance

    Keep your distance, please!

    These are the coronavirus rules as we know them: Keep a distance of 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6 feet) from others, observe good hygiene and wear a mask. But this does not do justice to the complex reality of how aerosols spread, researchers from Oxford and London (UK) and Cambridge MA (US) have written in an analysis published in the British Medical Journal in late August.

  • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stretches his arms out in a school classroom.

    This much? Or more?

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tried to show schoolchildren how it should be done. But what does his gesture mean exactly? Do his fingertips have to be 1.5 meters away from the fingertips of another person? That would be a reasonable interpretation of the regulations. But two arm lengths alone measure 1.5 meters, so distances of 4.5 meters or more could easily result.

  • A boy in Senegal pulling the legs of a sheep

    Are sheep lengths better?

    The Icelandic Association of Sheep Breeders has established its own rules: Two sheep lengths are appropriate to avoid infection. One may wonder if face masks are also supposed to be knitted from real sheep's wool. This young shepherd in Senegal may be trying to find out how long a sheep is by pulling its hind leg. The Icelanders already know — exactly 1 meter.

  • A woman walking four small dogs on leashes

    Natural spacers

    Of course, this could also work. The standard length of a dog leash corresponds pretty exactly to the current coronavirus rules. Could it be a coincidence that a six-foot leash is usually prescribed for places where leashes are compulsory?

  • A man coughing and spitting out droplets.

    Where does the 2-meter rule come from?

    The authors led by Lydia Bourouiba, an expert in fluid dynamics and disease transmission at MIT, writes that the rule is outdated. Two meters was the distance recommended by the German physician C. Flügge in 1897. Visible droplets that he had caught within this distance were still contagious. A 1948 study showed that 90% of streptococci coughed out in droplets flew no further than 1.7 meters.

  • People sitting in circles marking correct distancing on a lawn on the banks of the river Rhine near Düsseldorf.

    Two meters are not enough

    The 1948 study was published in the American Medical Journal. It also showed that 10% of streptococci flew much further: up to 2.9 meters. If that were the case, perhaps the people on this lawn on the banks of the Rhine in Dusseldorf would be safe — if every other circle remained free. But wait a minute — we are not dealing with streptococci (bacteria) here, but with viruses.

  • An experiment with a man singing - showing the extent of his breath reaching deep into the room.

    Viruses spread via aerosols

    Viruses are much smaller than bacteria, so they can float around for hours and spread better in the air. This is why the researchers recommend that the distance between people should not be the only safety criterion but that other factors should be considered, too: How well a room is ventilated, whether people are wearing masks, and whether they are silent, speaking softly or singing and shouting.

  • People sitting outside in an African village, listening to a presentation about coronavirus hygiene.

    Do not sing or cough

    Numerous studies have also shown that coughing can propel veritable parcels of viruses up to 8 meters through the air. Speaking or singing loudly also spread a lot of aerosols and droplets about the room. If, however, people only speak quietly, as in a library, and sit in the fresh air, safe distances can be smaller again.

  • Students wearing a mask in a class room.

    How long should I stay in the room?

    The duration of a stay in a contaminated room and how many people are in that room are also decisive factors when assessing the risk of infection. The researchers have used those factors to develop a traffic light model. The clear result: In rooms with a high occupancy, you should generally stay only for a short time, make sure they are well aired, wear a mask and speak quietly.

  • A prison cell with a prisoner and a guard (picture-alliance/empics)

    One minute is enough to get infected

    Even very brief contact can be enough to transmit SARS-CoV-2. The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) had to tighten its rules on October 21, after a prison guard caught SARS-CoV-2 from prisoners with whom he had only had contact with for a few minutes at a time. Now, "close contact" is defined as being within 2 metres of an infected person for at least 15 minutes cumulatively within 24 hours.

  • A crew member on a cruise ship is measuring out the distances between chairs on the sun-deck.

    No mask needed here

    Here, however, the traffic light of the UK-US research team would show green. Outside, people can be safe for long periods of time even without a mask, provided there are few people around, everything is well ventilated and no one talks much. But even so, will the distance between deck chairs being measured here be enough?


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