6 feet or 10 metres: What experts say about safe distance to keep Covid at bay

If an infected person coughs, sings, laughs, talks loudly, aerosols carrying the infection can move in the direction of the wind and travel up to 10 metres, Dr Ved Chaturvedi has said.

The recent Covid-19 guideline issued by the principal scientific adviser to the government has said that aerosols from a Covid-19 infected person can travel in the air up to 10 metres, which is around 32 feet, while in its earlier guidelines, the health ministry has advised maintaining 'do gaj ki duri', which is around six feet. So, do people need to keep a distance of 10 metres now? Dr Ved Chaturvedi (Lt General) of Delhi's Gangaram Hospital is of the opinion that a distance of 10 metres is advisable but most of the Covid-19 infections spread through droplets in the vicinity, and not through aerosols which are found to travel up to 10 metres.

People not maintaining social distance at a queue to buy Remdesivir in Bhopal. (PTI)

"The finding that the virus can travel up to 10 metres has also been supported by The Lancet. But maintaining 'do gaj ki duri' is crucial as most cases are found in the close proximity of an infected person through droplets which spread when a person is speaking. But many people have said that they have not gone outside and not come in close contact with anyone, but still got the infection. So, the virus can remain suspended in the air and can infect another. If an infected person coughs, sings, laughs, talks loudly, infected aerosols can move in the direction of the wind," Dr Chaturvedi said in an interview with All India Radio.

But as maintaining a distance of 10 metres may not be possible, good ventilation can come to help, Indian Council of Medical Research chief Dr Balram Bhargava has said. "First, it was found that the virus transmits through droplets. Now it has been found that there are microdroplets that can remain suspended in the air for at least 2-3 hours. Some studies have pointed out that microdroplets can remain in the air for 3 hours. For droplets, we recommend a distance of six feet. For micro-droplets, we recommend good ventilation so that these can be dispersed," Dr Bhargava has recently said.

However, wearing masks as advised can provide protection at any distance, experts have said.