- David Schuckman
- Editor of the BBC Science News Department
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Photo author, PA Media
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It is already known that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which caused the global pandemic, spreads easily indoors, but can you catch it outdoors?
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For example, on a walk with a friend or girlfriend, from a runner running by, or from people standing with you under the visor at a bus stop?
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Is it safe outside?
Fresh air “dilutes” the concentration of the virus. In the air, liquid droplets containing viral particles are also more easily volatilized.
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Plus, the sun’s ultraviolet rays kill the virus on the surface.
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Nevertheless, despite all these factors that reduce the risk, it is still possible to get infected on the street.
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In one study it turned out, that 15 minutes of face-to-face communication in the air was enough for one man in China to catch the infection from another.
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So the risk is small, but still there. What does it depend on?
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Less than two meters?
If a person is infected (although they may not know about it, because they have no symptoms), then they will excrete viral particles with breathing, especially with a cough or cough.
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Some of the particles will be in the form of droplets, most of which will quickly fall to the ground, but some can get into your eyes, nose or mouth if you are within two meters of this person.
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Therefore, the advice is this: do not be face to face if you are so close to each other.
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An infected person also releases smaller, aerosol particles into the air. Indoors, they accumulate in the air, which can be dangerous, but they quickly dissipate outside.
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Photo author, Alamy
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The more time, the worse?
When someone walks by on the street or a runner jogs, you are close to each other for a matter of seconds.
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In such cases, it is extremely unlikely that you will receive any significant dose of infection.
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“We don’t want people to be afraid of meeting passers-by on the street,” says Professor Cat Noakes, who is part of the British government’s advisory team.
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According to her, in order to infect you, an infected passer-by will have to cough or sneeze directly at you, and at that very moment you will have to inhale this air and receive a dose of infection.
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However, she warns that those who spend a long time outdoors with friends should not think that they are completely safe in terms of infection.
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For example, going for a run together and running behind someone for 20 minutes or more in that person’s breath may pose a certain risk of infection.
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“The sad fact is that the people you know personally are the most at risk,” she says.
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Street street strife
So, scientists have found that the risk of transmission of infection is small in open space.
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But the threat remains in confined spaces such as market stalls, bus stops, terraces – even if it is not crowded.
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Wherever there is no air movement, it begins to stagnate and become polluted.
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Therefore, doctors advise wearing a mask in such places, for example, in narrow aisles, alleys, or when you are standing in a long line.
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Can you catch a virus on a park bench?
If a person infected with a coronavirus sneezes or coughed into his palms, and then wipes his hands on any surface, then the virus can persist on it for several hours.
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Scientists in the US have found the virus persists on trash can handles and crosswalk switch buttons.
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In their opinion, this could lead to an outbreak of disease in a certain area, albeit on a smaller scale compared to other ways of transmission of the coronavirus.
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However, it must be remembered that the virus lasts longer outdoors in winter.
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He loves cold temperatures – this is why there have been several outbreaks of disease in meat processing plants and storage facilities.
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In addition, in the cold season, the nose on the street begins to leak, and many habitually wipe it with their hand, and as a result, the likelihood that viruses settle on some surface increases.
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At the same time, many scientists have now come to the conclusion that the amount of the virus that you can catch in this way will be minimal, and it will disappear from the surface in an hour or two.
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Photo author, PA Media
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Where are the chances of getting infected the highest?
All indications are that most covid infections occur primarily indoors. The virus is transmitted directly through communication, especially if people are together for a long time.
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This means that the virus can be transmitted in several ways.
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Either through infected liquid particles that settle on a person (face, exposed parts of the body or clothing), or through infected surfaces.
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And in a stuffy room, aerosol particles of the virus are concentrated in the air breathed by those who are there.
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