Social distancing; one meter (3 feels) may not be safe..!

With Sri Lankan changing the control strategies and allowing a certain degree of community movement and more controlled actions are compulsory. Despite more than 3000 scientific articles published on covid-19 from January to April 2020, all evidence still suggests that the best approach in disease transmission control is through social distancing, hand washing, isolations and isolation.

The social distancing guidelines recommended by World Health Organization and Sri Lanka recommends 3 feels distance between individuals (see the WHO recommendation). However, Center for Disease Control, USA recommends 6 feels/ 2 meters distance between individuals (CDC recommendation).

A new model on respiratory emission recently publication in JAMA shows that droplet may travel a much longer distance than previously expected. The “turbulence gas cloud” originating from a sneeze or cough may travel 6-7 meters! (Read the article)

Screenshot 2020-04-19 18.43.16

Since the knowledge on transmission of SARS CoV-2 virus is still limited and changing, use of extra precautions could be helpful. With uncertainty of available evidence and the new findings published in JAMA, it will be better to have more distance among people, at least 6 feels as recommended by CDC.

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Department of Community Medicine
%d bloggers like this: