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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Ryan Merrifield

Coronavirus particles from jogger 'could infect you even if six feet away'

Current social distancing guidelines might not be enough to protect joggers from coronavirus, according to a new study.

Tech company Ansys has created a simulation which suggests you could come into contact with droplets of moisture even when remaining six feet behind another person during exercise.

Running two abreast could be less risky than in single file, as you are far less likely to be struck with any potentially infected fluids, experts say.

Health bosses have highlighted increasing social distance as being the key to stamping out the bug's spread for months.

For the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, click here

The study comes as figures show one Briton is dying from coronavirus every two minutes.

Fatalities surged to 7,172 after 936 people died in the space of 24 hours -  making yesterday the country's deadliest day yet.

Marc Horner, the principal engineer for healthcare at Ansys, told the Daily Mail when someone sneezes or coughs "it happens so quickly and the droplets are so small" it is almost impossible to get out of the way in time.

Brits are permitted to leave the house to exercise while remaining two metres apart (PA)

He said the simulation gets "that mental image in your mind of how far away you need to stand so gravity has time to pull the droplets down".

If an infected individual coughs or sneezes, moisture is said to be unlikely to travel further than six feet or two metres - hence the official guidance.

The Ansys video depicts two scenarios: one shows two people running side-by-side, while in the other they are one behind the other.

In the first case, when one person coughs or sneezes, most of the droplets go behind the runners, not to the sides.

Mr Horner said if you are running behind someone the droplets will be "suspended in the air" and if you are two metres behind you will "run right into them".

The simulation reveals the dangers of jogging during the coronavirus pandemic (Ansys)

Aside from running next to each other, which may prove unsafe on a road, joggers could run in a staggered formation.

The simulations come after reports that the current social distance being advised is not enough.

According to  Wired.com, infected moisture droplets will travel further than six feet when expelled with extreme force or when carried by the wind.

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