Up till now, we thought that if we maintain a distance of six feet (1.8 metres) from others, we might not catch Covid-19, but an MIT researcher has debunked the previous guideline, saying coronavirus can rather travel 27 feet (8 metres) and can linger for hours. Also Read - Coronavirus Health Update: Top 10 Most Common Questions And answers on Coronavirus (Covid-19)

MIT associate professor Lydia Bourouiba, who has researched the dynamics of coughs and sneezes for years, warned that the current social-distancing guidelines to stay six feet from others are based on outdated models from the 1930s. Also Read - These Are The Countries Where No Cases Of Coronavirus Have Been Reported So Far

The professor has said that the “pathogen-bearing droplets of all sizes can travel 23 to 27 feet.”

In her 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.’

Calling the current guidelines of social-distancing ‘overly simplified’, she warned that such guidelines may drastically impact the lives of doctors and health workers, who are at an increased risk of catching the virus, while treating patients.

“There’s an urgency in revising the guidelines currently being given by the [World Health Organization] and the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] on the needs for protective equipment, particularly for the frontline health care workers,” Bourouiba told USA Today.