Fact: Being Outside Doesn’t Mean You’re Immune to Coronavirus (Even at the White House)
If you think you’re safe from the coronavirus just because you’re outdoors, think again.
While the wind and the large volume of air make the outdoors less risky than being indoors, circumstances matter.
Someone who is infectious can cough or sneeze, or just talk and, if you happen to inhale those respiratory droplets or they plop into your eye, you can get infected. If you shake hands with an infected person and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth, you also run a chance of getting infected. You don’t have to be inhaling an infected person’s air for very long. What matters is the dose.
As an infectious disease doctor, I get a lot of questions from patients about COVID-19 risks. Here are some answers about the risks outdoors.
Doesn’t Wind Make Outside Safer Than Inside?
It’s true that the wind helps disperse respiratory droplets that can carry viruses.
When