The results of the study show where it is safest to sit at a table and what can reduce the chances of infection when meeting friends.
Researchers from Japan simulated how coronavirus could spread when four people were communicating at a cafe or restaurant table. This is reported by The Asahi Shimbun.
Scientists from the Riken Center for Computational Science, together with colleagues from Kobe University, demonstrated what the chances of contracting coronavirus are if you sit in a bar with three more people, and one of them is a coronavirus carrier.
In their model, four people sit at two 60 centimeters square(the standard size of tables in cafes and restaurants, according to researchers) tables pushed together.
Simulations indicate that the person sitting next to the speaker receives about five times more aerosol particles than the person sitting opposite.
The chances of contracting COVID-19, if the interlocutor is a carrier of the virus, are correlated in much the same way. At the same time, when the speaker turns his head to the recipient, the risk of transmission of the pathogen increases. The safest place, according to scientists, is diagonally from probably infected: no more than a quarter of the aerosol particles emitted by the speaker reach there.
The simulation also showed that the spread of such particles strongly depends on the humidity in the room. At a humidity level of less than 30%, the range of particle distribution doubles, compared to the humidity of 60%. This is due to the fact that at high humidity particles stick together more intensively and settle faster.
This study suggests that air moisturizers in public places help reduce the chances of COVID-19 infection. Scientists also recommend installing special protective transparent screens on the tables of cafes and restaurants, so that visitors can communicate with each other as safely as possible.
