Scientists at the American Institute of Physics have determined that air currents in narrow corridors contribute to the spread of coronavirus from a person sneezing or coughing. If people walk quickly in the corridor, the air currents can carry droplets with the virus over a fairly long distance. The new infection factor SARS-CoV-2 is reported in an article published in the journal Physics of Fluids.
The simulation results showed that an infected person in the hallway leaves behind a “trail” of drops at about waist level. In addition, a denser “bubble” of viruses suspended in the air may form behind the patient’s back. Although the risk of infection for tall adults remains fairly low, children are more likely to catch the pathogen.
In cases where an infected person leaves such a circulating cloud at some distance behind him, the concentration of droplets with the virus remains quite high for five seconds. Thus, in narrow corridors, the rules for maintaining social distance need to be revised, the scientists conclude.