Is There Any Safe Way to Socialize Inside This Winter?

For months, there’s been a relatively easy way to socialize safely during the pandemic: take it outside. But now, with cold weather creeping into many parts of the world, park picnics, socially distant walks and outdoor dining are about to get less appealing for lots of people. Experts have warned for months that indoor gatherings are prime places for the virus to spread—but does that mean there’s no way to see anyone aside from your housemates this winter? Here’s what five experts said about indoor socializing. Why is outside safer than in? SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can spread when someone comes into contact with large respiratory droplets, like those that escape with a sick person’s cough or sneeze. These large droplets are unlikely to travel further than six feet, hence the ubiquitous guidance around social distancing—which is usually easier to achieve outside than in. But someone infected with SARS-CoV-2 is also constantly exhaling tiny respiratory particles, known as aerosols, that linger in the air. (Wearing a mask reduces the number of droplets and aerosols that get into the atmosphere.) In outdoor air, aerosols dissipate fairly quickly. But in an enclosed space, particularly one that is poorly ventilated, they can build up over time and potentially endanger anyone in the room, even people sitting more than six feet away from the sick person. An Oct. 27 study published in Physics of Fluids found that aerosol transm...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news