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COVID-19 can spread between mask wearers even when 4 feet apart, new study finds

People wearing masks and gloves wait to enter a Walmart on April 17, 2020, in Uniondale, New York. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – While many states are implementing preventative mask mandate measures, fabric-covered faces alone won’t prevent the spread of the coronavirus, scientists say.  

According to a new study, published in Physics of Fluid, viral droplets are still expelled through masks and into the air when a person coughs, possibly transmitting COVID-19 to a neighboring person even if that person is standing 4 feet away. 

This study builds upon previous studies where this same research group discovered saliva droplets can travel 18 feet in just 5 seconds when an unmasked person coughs.

By using a computer model, scientists were able to show a consistent pattern of how droplets escape when a person coughs repeatedly. Scientists were also able to show how excessive coughing lessens mask effectiveness by eroding away the fabric. 

While masks are useful when social distancing isn’t possible, keeping 6 feet away remains the most essential precaution to avoid inhaling disease-infected particles, the authors emphasized. 

“The use of a mask will not provide complete protection,” study co-author and University of Nicosia professor Dimitris Drikakis said in a statement obtained by News 8. “Therefore, social distancing remains essential.”  

Currently, Elkhart, LaGrange and St. Joseph counties all have mask orders requiring face coverings indoors and in outdoor spaces where socially distancing is not possible. Marion County’s mask mandate goes into effect on Thursday.