CDC Updates Guidance on Airborne Spread of Coronavirus (October 20, 2020)

According to NPR, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting that the coronavirus can be spread through airborne particles that can linger in the air “for minutes or even hours” — even among people who are more than 6 feet apart.

In new guidance published on October 5, 2020 on its website, the CDC also acknowledged that, under certain circumstances, people have become infected by smaller particles that can linger in the air in enclosed spaces that are poorly ventilated. This occurs when people may be breathing heavily (e.g., while singing or exercising) and there is now evidence that the amount of smaller infectious droplets and particles that a contagious person produces “became concentrated enough to spread the virus to other people”, even if they were more than 6 feet away.

Along with improving indoor ventilation, the CDC recommends that people stay at least 6 feet away from others whenever possible, avoid crowded indoors spaces, and to wash their hands regularly.

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