The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now officially acknowledged that the novel coronavirus spreads most commonly in the air, through droplets or other tiny respiratory particles that are formed when a person who has the virus coughs, sneezes, signs, talks or breathes. The particles can apparently remain suspended in the air and inhaled into the nose, mouth, airways, and lungs.

The CDC mentioned in their new guidelines that there is growing evidence that these droplets/airborne particles can remain suspended in the air, travel distances beyond 6 feet, and be inhaled by others. It is already known that the the droplets emitted from an infected person can land on surfaces or objects and be transferred to another individual when they come in contact with the surface. The person contracts the virus when they further proceed to touch their mouth, nose, or eyes before disinfecting their hands. The CDC has now written on its website, "This is thought to be the main way the virus spreads. There is growing evidence that droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others and travel distances beyond six feet (for example, during choir practice, in restaurants or in fitness classes)."

The website further added that people who are sick should stay home and isolate themselves and use air purifiers to help reduce airborne germs in indoor spaces. Previously, the advice was to maintain good social distance of about six feet. COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 965,178 people and infected over 31,250,428 people across the world. The virus was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, in China. As the death toll and overall cases began rising rapidly across the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency and the outbreak has now been labelled a pandemic.