Coronavirus can travel 27 feet, stay in air for hours, says MIT researcher

Staying six feet away from others may not work, an MIT researcher has warned saying the coronavirus can rather travel 27 feet and can linger for hours. The study was conducted by MIT associate professor Lydia Bourouiba, who has researched the dynamics of coughs and sneezes for years. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The professor has said that the "pathogen-bearing droplets of all sizes can travel 23 to 27 feet." In the newly published research, Bourouiba also warned that "droplets that settle along the trajectory can contaminate surfaces" and "residues or droplet nuclei" may "stay suspended in the air for hours." According to the New York Post, she noted that a 2020 report from China showed that "virus particles could be found in the ventilation systems in hospital rooms of patients with COVID-19." According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 has affected over seven lakh people globally.