![Why Do We Have to Be Six Feet Apart Anyway?](http://townsquare.media/site/696/files/2020/04/social-distancing-1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Why Do We Have to Be Six Feet Apart Anyway?
We all know that the social distancing is six feet apart..but why?
WKMG in Orlando, Florida says that the Center for Disease Control has a very specific reason for the 'six' feet of distance.
So why six feet and not five feet?
When someone coughs or sneezes, sometimes tiny drops of liquid, that you cannot see, are sprayed out. If you’re standing too close, you can actually breathe them in.
It's in those unseen droplets that the coronavirus could be living. Even if the person who coughed or sneezed has COVID-19, if you are six feet away - according to the World Health Organization, you are out of reach.
But, if you are five feet away...you are NOT protected. We all have a breathing zone of 3 to 6 feet. That means, that people who are in that space are breathing and exhaling the same air. So, if someone has the coronavirus, they’re basically breathing it out into the air you are breathing in.
The science behind this says that COVID-19 has an R0, pronounced R-naught, of about 2.2. R0 is the measurement that estimates the expected number of cases from one case in a population. So that means, if one person has the coronavirus, they will likely infect at least two people or more.
That’s why it’s important to keep out of their breathing zone and avoid people altogether. And if you can't avoid people - stay at least six feet away.
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