Social Distancing: Here's why two metres distance to avoid coronavirus transmission is not enough

Social distancing is the need of the hour. The term 'social distancing' has been used frequently in the past few days. From grocery shops to local markets, everywhere we find people following guidelines and maintaining at least two metres of distance.

But according to a new study, keeping a two-metre distance from others may not be enough to stop the spread of coronavirus

According to the latest reports from Massachusetts Institute of Technology published in The Telegraph, maintaining one of two metres of distance is not enough to give protection from catching the highly contagious airborne disease.

In the reports, it is said that the droplets expelled during coughing and sneezing of the deadly COVID-19 can travel in a moist and warm atmosphere at speeds of 10-30 metres (33ft-100ft) per second. The droplets can create a cloud that can span approximately 7-8 metres (23ft-27ft).

According to The Daily Mail online, seven to eight metres of the gap between two people is considered ideal in this risky situation.

Earlier, it was also reported that the droplets can stay in the air for hours and can move along with the airflow. So, keeping a distance of 2 meters is not impactful. 

More than 42,000 people have died worldwide in the coronavirus pandemic as the cases continue to rise dramatically, with the US becoming the new epicentre of the outbreak where the death toll surpassed China's official toll on Tuesday.

The virus has so far infected more than 858,000 people, killing at least 42,139 of them, according to the latest update provided by the John Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker. The pandemic has forced half the world population under a lockdown across continents, with India asking its 1.3 people to stay home for three weeks till April 14. 

The outbreak has hammered the global economy with the major economies staring at the recession as fallout from the pandemic. 

The US has the most cases with over 188,000, followed by Italy at 105,792, Spain 95,923 and China at 82,279. Italy has recorded the highest number of deaths with 12,428, followed by Spain's death toll of 8,464, US' 3,873, France's 3,523 and China's 3,308. 

Staying inside our home is the best way to defeat the deadly COVID-19.