Earlier today a Shanghai official confirmed that Coronavirus is airborne and can be transmitted via aerosols.

According to chinadaily, Zeng Qun, deputy head of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau clarified that aerosols are virus particles mixed with droplets in the air, which can cause infection after inhalation.

To further clarify, aerosols can travel long distances. How far? A study published in 2014 in the Journal of Dental Sciences investigated how far and how long can aerosols travel and survive. The result “showed that bacterial aerosols contamination could spread a horizontal distance of 100 cm (~40 inches) and a vertical distance of 50 cm (~20 inches) from a patient’s oral cavity, and remain airborne suspended for 20 minutes.”

That means if an infected individual within three feet of you so much as breathes in your direction, there is a chance of transmission.

The new findings should encourage people to take extra precautions when visiting crowded places and make sure to keep their living quarters highly ventilated.