We hear six feet of social distancing so much it has become the holy grail. The science of micro-spit tells a different story.
More than likely, you have seen your breath on a very cold day, or perhaps the walk in freezer at the fish market. You are seeing frozen micro-droplets. On regular day these droplets can hang in the breeze for minutes and travel far more than six feet.
A sneeze or cough can expel larger droplets at speeds of 100 and 50 MPH respectively. Both can project 40,000 micro-droplets.
In an COVID19 infected person those droplets may contain millions of virus particles.
So, do not be too comfortable at six feet of separation. It is the minimum including the use of a mask.