WHO Covid-19 expert claims two-metre distance 'safe 99% of time' and masks will be 'big issue'

The World Health Organisation's (WHO) Special Envoy on Covid-19, Dr David Nabarro, has said the two-metre guidance to stop the transmission of Covid-19 "keeps you safe 99% of the time".

However, Dr Nabarro also said you can "greatly reduce your risk by maintaining a one-metre distance."

Dr Nabarro also spoke of travel and mandatory quarantine, proper ventilation when pubs and restaurants re-open and about trust with those in authority.

Dr Nabarro told Today with Sarah McInerney that 70% of droplets from a person's cough will travel within one metre, and that "very few of them travel further than two metres".

"The WHO and others have said the best distance to keep away from people if you want to avoid inhaling a droplet is two metres.

That's because that will keep you safe 99% of the time but you can greatly reduce risk even at one metre because 70% of the droplets will stick within one metre.

He said it is a balance of risk and a choice that must be made based on a personal set of circumstances. If you really want to reduce the risk of picking up an infection stay at least two metres away, he said.

"But if you are in a difficult situation where you have to be in close proximity to someone, if you're providing care or if you are working in a factory where two metres doesn't work, you can still greatly reduce the risk by being one metre away," he said.

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Ventilation, the weather, and an individual's style of coughing are three factors that can affect the transmission capacity of the virus, Dr Nabarro explained.

He said: "We have confirmed that the risk of transmission of this virus is greatly reduced if you are in a place with good ventilation or if you are outdoors. This virus seems to travel further in cold weather than it does in hot weather.

It also depends on how somebody coughs. If they cough in an explosive way they seem to be able to project the virus much further than someone who coughs in a softer way or don't have explosive coughing.

Dr Nabarro cited how South Korea saw a surge in cases that were linked to a number of night clubs.

He said "a lot of attention needs to be paid to ventilation" when deciding how pubs and night venues can reopen, as well as "being more respectful of physical distancing".

A "reciprocal travel arrangement" needs to be in place between countries before they agree to open travel to each other, according to Dr Nabarro.

"If Ireland wants to open travel with another country, authorities need to be sure that the other country has taken the same approach to dealing with Covid; that is it has the same capacity to identify people who are ill and are able to deal with outbreaks.

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"The response needs to be like a buddy arrangement. There need to be assurances that the country has the same level of preparedness. This is key to a reciprocal travel arrangement."

He said if countries don't share the same approach then "some process of mandatory quarantine or self-quarantine, with a high degree of responsibility" needs to be in place.

On the issue of face masks, Dr Nabarro said "a poorly worn face mask is no good", and that he believes that the "quality of mask-wearing is going to become a big issue".

He said: "If you are sitting next to somebody on a flight that has a nasty cough and you happen to take your face mask off to eat or drink you might end up getting the coronavirus."

He added that in order for the face mask to be effective on a flight he believes that it would have to be worn for the flight's duration.

Responding to recent reports on the UK Prime Minister's chief advisor Dominic Cummings, Dr Nabarro said it is important that trust is maintained between those in power and those who are having to make sacrifices to help stop the spread of this virus.

"There is an emerging feeling among some that people who have less power have to take more precautions and to undergo more in the way of sacrifice than those who have a lot of power.

"It really is important that everything possible is done to maintain the trust of those in authority by people who have to take actions to reduce the spread of this virus."

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