By Larry Spilman
Apr 6, 2021
A new University of Central Florida study suggests masks and good ventilation are more important than social distancing when it comes to reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the classroom. Masks basically prevent large droplets from being ejected from your mouth, UCF mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Michael Kinzel said. They also prevent droplets or aerosols from going directly to your neighbor.
Dr. Kinzel co-authored the study. It s not a social distancing problem in a classroom if you have a mask but social distancing is probably the first thing you can relax in a classroom.
Kinzel says the take-away is that masks may be the key to increasing capacity in schools and other indoor places. The CDC recently recommended reducing social distancing in elementary schools from 6 feet to 3 feet as long as children are wearing masks.
Masks, Ventilation Stop COVID Spread Better than Social Distancing
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New UCF study says masks more important than social distancing in classroom
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New UCF study says masks more important than social distancing in classroom
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IMAGE: For the study, the researchers created a computer model of a classroom with students and a teacher, then modeled airflow and disease transmission, and calculated airborne-driven transmission risk. view more
Credit: Michael Kinzel, UCF
ORLANDO, April 5, 2021 - A new study from the University of Central Florida suggests that masks and a good ventilation system are more important than social distancing for reducing the airborne spread of COVID-19 in classrooms.
The research, published recently in the journal
Physics of Fluids, comes at a critical time when schools and universities are considering returning to more in-person classes in the fall.