The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that caused the global pandemic is known to spread easily indoors. But can you catch it outdoors? For example, from a passing runner, or from people standing next to you under the shelter at the bus stop while you are walking with a friend or companion. Epidemiologists say that transmission of infection can occur on the street, but the chances of this happening are small. Fresh air “dilutes” the virus concentration. Liquid droplets containing virus particles also disperse more easily in the air. In addition, ultraviolet rays kill the virus that has landed on the surface. However, despite all these factors that reduce the risk, it is still possible to get infected on the street. One study found that 15 minutes of face-to-face communication outdoors was enough for one man in China to be infected by another. So the risk is small, but it still exists. What does it depend on?
When a person is infected (even though they may not know it because they have no symptoms), they expel viral particles through their breath, especially when they cough or sneeze. Some particles will be in the form of droplets, most of which will fall quickly to the ground, but some may enter your eyes, nose, or mouth if you are within six feet of that person. Therefore, the advice is this: do not stand face to face when you are so close together. An infected person also releases smaller aerosol particles into the air. These accumulate indoors, which can be dangerous, but dissipate quickly outdoors.
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When someone passes you on the street or a runner passes you, you are in close proximity for a few seconds. In such cases, it is highly unlikely that you will receive a significant dose of infection. “We don’t want people to be afraid of meeting strangers on the street,” says Professor Cat Nokes, a member of the British government’s advisory team. According to them, in order to infect you, an infected passerby must cough or sneeze directly on you, and you must inhale that air and receive a dose of infection at that moment. However, she warns that those who spend a lot of time outdoors with friends should not think they are completely safe from infection. For example, going for a run together and running behind someone for 20 minutes or more in their exhalation stream may carry some risk of infection. “The sad fact is that the greatest risk comes from the people you know personally,” she says. For example, scientists have found that the risk of transmitting an infection in open spaces is low. But the threat remains in confined spaces, such as market stalls, bus stops, terraces – even when there are few people. Wherever there is no movement of air, it begins to stagnate and become polluted. This is why doctors recommend wearing a mask in places such as narrow passageways, alleyways, or when standing in a long line.
If a person infected with coronavirus sneezes or coughs into their palm and then wipes their hands on any surface, the virus can remain on the surface for several hours. Scientists in the United States have discovered that the virus persists on trash can handles and pedestrian crossing buttons. In their view, this could lead to an outbreak of disease in a given area, albeit on a smaller scale than other modes of coronavirus transmission. However, it is important to remember that the virus persists outdoors longer in the winter. It likes low temperatures, which is why there have been several outbreaks of disease in meat processing plants and warehouses. In addition, during the cold months of the year, people tend to run their noses outside and wipe them with their hands out of habit, which increases the likelihood of viruses settling on a surface. At the same time, many scientists have now concluded that the amount of virus you can catch in this way is minimal, and it will dissipate from the surface within an hour or two. “The chances of transmitting the virus through inanimate surfaces are very low,” says Professor Emmanuel Goldman of Rutgers University in the US.
Evidence suggests that the majority of COVID-19 infections occur primarily indoors. The virus is transmitted directly through communication, especially when people are together for long periods of time. This means that the virus can be transmitted in multiple ways. Either through infected fluid particles that settle on a person’s face, exposed body parts, or clothing, or through contaminated surfaces. And in a stuffy room, aerosol particles of the virus are concentrated in the air that people breathe. This is why infections are most common in homes.