For the past month, millions of Americans have been
encouraged to hunker down at home. Although that is the ideal situation to help
contain the spread of the coronavirus, we know that it is not entirely
realistic. Therefore, people worldwide have been told to practice social
distancing when leaving the house. The social distancing standard is to stay at
least six feet away from whomever you are interacting with. However, Medium
reports that a Belgian-Dutch study has found that this distance is not
sufficient.
When you are walking, biking, or running with others, you should
actually be 13 to 16 feet apart when walking, 33 feet for running and slow
biking, and at least 65 feet apart for intense biking. According to the study, while
exercising, "people who sneeze or cough spread droplets with a bigger force,
but also people who just breathe will leave particles behind." Professor
Bert Blocken says that these particles form a cloud and remain in the air behind a person
who is moving forward. If you are following someone too closely, you will pass
through this cloud, and the particles can land on your clothing. This naturally
increases the risk for contamination. The study recommends that exercising
alone may be the safest bet.
