Coronavirus / Aerosols key mode of COVID-19 transmission, can travel up to 10 m: Govt adviser

New Delhi: Smaller aerosol particles can be carried in the air for 10 metres, the government warned today as it shared a set of "easy to follow" guidelines on fighting Covid, which includes double masks, social distancing and well-ventilated spaces.

Use of proper ventilation can prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Union government's principal scientific adviser K VijayRaghavan's office said in the new advisory which also warns against running air conditioners while keeping windows and doors shut. "Running ACs traps infected air inside the room and increases risk of transmission from an infected carrier to others," it said. 

"Always Remember: People who show no symptoms can also spread the virus," the document, titled "Stop the Transmission, Crush the Pandemic" said, urging people to rigorously follow Covid appropriate behaviour. While droplets fall within two meters from an infected person, smaller aerosol particles are carried in the air up to 10 metres, it said.

Aerosol and droplet transmission

Saliva and nasal discharged in the form of droplets and aerosols by an infected person is the primary mode of virus transmissions, the document said, adding that an infected person without symptoms also transmit the virus.

"Just as smells can be diluted by ventilation, the dangerous concentration of the virus can be reduced by ensuring that outdoor air flows in," it said.