The 6 feet recommended by public health officials for social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic may not be far enough to prevent exposure if there is any wind, according to a study published today in Physics of Fluid.

Using a computational fluid dynamics simulation that monitors the movement and state of every saliva droplet in the air in front of someone coughing, researchers in Cyprus found that saliva can travel as far as 18 feet in 5 seconds—even with only a light breeze of 4 kph (2.5 mph).

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