(FT Paywall) "One metre or two? Economic pressure stokes distancing debate"
Deciding the balance - and persuading the public - is the job of political leaders in each country
https://www.ft.com/content/202a6f8a-7310-49ed-b285-3ea26fa963f3
Scientists and politicians at odds over physical distancing needed to limit transmission
.....
the judgment is complicated because distancing is just one of many factors that influence infection rates
- and because persisting with two metre spacing would hamper the revival of social and business activities.
......
“Duration and distance both matter”
.....
being at close quarters to somebody for a short time may not cause problems outdoors,
where the virus will tend to disperse quickly in the air.
Conversely, even maintaining 2 metres distancing over an extended stay indoors may not be enough to prevent infection.
A paper on South Korean coronavirus cases this year found that people in 50-minute fitness dance classes with as few as five people became infected,
even though the 60 square metres room was theoretically large enough to allow two metre distancing.
“We have seen that the two metre rule doesn’t really work in crowded indoor environments”
< imo, % infected is key.
If v few people are infected, there will only be localised outbreaks and few enough to shut down promptly before they spread (hence why I feel going to the gym is a reasonable risk) >