Are current rules on physical distancing based on outdated science?

Editor's Note

This study by researchers at University of Oxford, UK, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, questions whether rigid safe distancing rules are oversimplified and outdated science based on experiences of past viruses.

Instead of single, fixed physical distance rules, the researchers propose graded recommendations that better reflect multiple factors that determine risk.

Rather than think exclusively about personal space, the researchers recommend that people consider their circumstances, including:

• If they are outdoors and wearing a mask, the risk of transmission during a group activity with only a few people is relatively low, and the need for distancing is less stringent, even if they are there for a while.
• If they are indoors in a well-ventilated place, not wearing a mask, and around people who are talking, the risk increases, and distancing matters more.
• If they are indoors for a long time, not wearing a mask, and around people who are yelling or singing in a poorly ventilated room, the risk is much higher, and keeping a distance is especially important, though it may not be sufficient to prevent infection.

Following these recommendations would provide greater protection in the highest risk settings but also greater freedom in lower risk settings, enabling a return towards normality in some aspects of life, the researchers say.