The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has stated that coronavirus can in fact be transmitted through small airborne droplets. The PHAC had stated prior to this that COVID 19 is primarily spread through touching contaminated items or being close enough to someone to catch contact with droplets from a sneeze, speech, or coughing. Now officials are stating that the disease can also be spread through aerosols, which are smaller droplets that remain suspended in the air.
Methods for Preventing Contraction
The PHAC has been advising Canadians to take certain measures in preventing the disease. First off, they have been warning Canadian citizens to avoid entering or remaining in closed spaces that do not have proper ventilation. Spaces like this include basements, attics, and rooms without windows. Within the household, family members should spend time in the rooms that have the most windows capable of being opened and fans. At work, work spaces should be utilized that have fans or windows. Rooms without windows should be avoided entirely as coronavirus can easily linger in the air in these types of spaces.
Additionally, the Canadian authorities have warned against occupying crowded places with large groups of people. We have all of course heard of the social distancing rule and this indication is no exception. Social distancing involves standing six feet apart from others at all times. The piece of advice indicated here is an elaboration upon that concept. There should at no times be crowds of people gathering during the coronavirus epidemic. You should not be in crowded places in any situation whatsoever. That being said, the larger the crowd of people, the higher the risk of contracting the coronavirus. This is true simply on a statistical level. This comes after the World Health Organization has issued similar advice in the month of October.
The third piece of advice that the PHAC has offered is to refrain from close contact situations. All individuals are advised to remain six feet apart at all times. This is both within social settings and interpersonal settings. Meetings in the workplace should be held so that all persons are six feet apart. When schools reopen, all children should be seated six feet apart or more. Close contact greatly amplifies the risk that an individual can contract the novel coronavirus. This is because the infection can be spread through airborne particles. The closer the person is to the infected individual at the time that he or she releases airborne particles of the disease into the air, the likelier it is that the individual may catch one of these airborne particles physically and then transfer it to one of the body’s points of entry via the mouth, nose, or ears.
PHAC has also made recommendations regarding masks. While it was once considered sufficient to wear a facial covering composed of one layer of material, the PHAC is now advising that individuals wear medical masks that are composed of three layers in order to ensure their safety.
