EXP COVID-19 Offices White Paper

INTRODUCTION | 7

TRANSMISSION PATHS

The size of a coronavirus particle is 80-160 nanometers, which is carried in droplets from affected individuals. SARS-CoV-2 reportedly remains active up to 3 hours in indoor air and 2-3 days on room surfaces at common indoor conditions. It is understood there are four main routes of transmission, including (1) directly via large droplets (i.e., droplets/particles emitted when sneezing

or coughing or talking) and (2) surface contact (i.e., hand- hand, hand-surface, etc.,) when those large droplets fall out of the air and land on surfaces, (3) transmission through small droplets or aerosolized virus that can remain suspended in the air for hours and (4) the fecal-oral transmission route (i.e., water closet flushing).

Figure 2. Possible SARS-CoV-2 transmission routes (6)