I told you people it's airborne! I TOLD YOU!!

@Graylight Yes. It is.

@perceptivei No, it's categorically not. It is spread via, among other things, droplet transmission. It does not hang suspended in air without benefit of a carrier. Not airborne.

@Graylight I thought airborne meant it can transmit via just talking. Is that right?

@perceptivei Okay. There's droplet transmission and then there's airborne transmission. Essentially and for practical purposes, they're almost the same. Imagine a round microscopic piece or dust just floating in the air. If it's airborne, it can stay suspended and float freely for as long as it likes, much like pollen, until it lands on something.

If that same piece of dust could only travel via droplet transmission, it would have to collide with a droplet of mucous, saliva or similar in order to be "carried" by that droplet. Most often, it comes already encased in a tiny droplet as an infected person expels them both from their mouth or nose. On it's own, coronavirus (we think) is too heavy to simply float on air currents.

Does that make sense? If you're standing 10 feet from another person, the difference is negligible.

@Graylight It is droplet precaution, but some places still using HEPA filters for 30 minutes and may put them inverse flow room.