“Silence in the open space! This instruction, perhaps one day, you will have to observe it. Because faced with Covid-19, the rule of the distance meter is not the absolute guarantee not to be infected by your office neighbor.
A study just published by The British Medical Journal shows that it is by thinking beyond the end of this small meter that we could be much more effective. The golden rule that has been repeated to us since the beginning of the epidemic would even fall under "obsolete science", an "outdated" approach, tackle these experts from the University of Oxford and MIT.
Table in support, they show that protecting oneself against the Covid-19, it is not only a matter of space. The fact that we work in a quiet place or not, that there are many there or not, that the premises are healthy, that matters just as much. While a new health protocol enters into force Tuesday in companies, their risk modeling gives food for thought.
Calm and good air conditioning
As you might expect, the chances of catching Covid-19 are almost zero if there are few people together, provided the ventilation is working well. Where it gets tough is when many employees find themselves in the same space, even temporarily. In this case, it is better not to be too fidgety and… not to chat too much. Because the more hubbub there is, the better the virus will circulate by aerosol effects, that is to say by suspension of very fine particles in the air!
And if, in addition, the interior air flows are poor or badly regulated, there, the risk increases again! So, in this kind of situation, we keep the mask on permanently. If it were removed, even for ten minutes, the risk would then become maximum. To summarize, the best conditions to face the recovery are calm, a well-regulated air conditioning, coupled with regular ventilation of the premises, not too many comings and goings, no shouting, as few physical meetings as possible. , jars in the evening ...
"Working in good conditions is indeed a factor not to be overlooked in the case of Sars-Cov2", agrees Jean-Christophe Lucet, head of the department of the hospital's hygiene and nosocomial infection control unit. Bichat, in Paris. If, for the time being, the scientific consensus is that Covid-19 is spread overwhelmingly through large droplets of saliva, “it has been proven that we could catch other infectious viruses, such as the common cold, more than two meters away, while wearing a mask, ”says the specialist.
1 meter, 1.5 meters, 2 meters?
What about Sars-Cov2? “It is possible that a continuum exists between airborne and droplet transmission. But as the Oxford University and MIT study shows, it's also a matter of context. In any case, in real life, it is better to multiply the preventive approaches in confined spaces.
The debate around the rules of distancing in the workplace is not new. When the epidemic started, it had already stirred scientific circles, when France, imitating Italy, had opted for the rule of "1 meter", in accordance with the recommendations then issued by the World Health Organization ( WHO). But others had chosen to go further: this is the case of Germany, Australia or Belgium for example, which set the distance rule at 1.5 meters, while Switzerland , Great Britain or Quebec opted for 2 meters.
