Two-metre distance far more effective than one, study finds

A two-metre distance is significantly more effective at reducing the transmission of Covid-19 than one metre, according to the most comprehensive study of viral transmission to date published in The Lancet on Monday. Wearing face and eye protection also significantly reduces the risk of transmitting the virus, the peer-reviewed paper stated, based on 172 observational studies of virus behaviour in community and healthcare settings. “The overwhelming message is that physical measures are effective in preventing Covid-19,” said Trish Greenhalgh, professor of primary care health services at the University of Oxford. “This is a major step forward in our knowledge, since previous meta-analyses were mainly based on prevention of influenza and other diseases which don’t behave the same way as the Covid-19 virus.”