If you didn’t before, make sure you take your shoes are off when you enter your home.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now reporting that coronavirus can travel through the air at least 13 feet — more than twice as far as previously reported in the social distancing guidelines.
According to the NY Post, research published in the agency’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal shows that the contagion can spread further than previous official suggestions and can also be travel on peoples shoes.
The report said, “The aerosol distribution characteristics … indicate that the transmission distance of [COVID-19] might be 4 m,” which translates as more than 13 feet.
The researchers wrote about samples taken at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, explaining that “Furthermore, half of the samples from the soles of the ICU medical staff shoes tested positive.”
Explaining that the soles of the medical staff’s shoes could function as carriers.
The report, based on research by a team at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing, suggests that the current social distancing guidelines of 6 feet may not be enough.
The report also suggests people — especially medical staff on the frontlines — could inadvertently be spreading the bug away from its source, and recommended stringent disinfecting measures to combat the spread.
