rico21
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To avoid contagion, it is better to run side by side than one behind the other Science & Techno Belgium Netherlands Het Laatste Nieuws - Brussels Posted on 10/04/2020 - 12:34 If physical activity is a great help in supporting containment, Belgian and Dutch researchers warn: greater safety distances must be observed and care must be taken not to run behind one another. Our services The safety distance of 1.5 meters, recommended by the authorities, is entirely valid "for people who are inside or outside in calm weather", confirms Het Laatste Nieuws. "But when you walk, run or cycle, you have to be a little more careful." The Belgian newspaper spoke with Professor Bert Blocken, aerodynamics researcher at the University of Louvain (Belgium) and the University of Eindhoven (Netherlands), both of whom are behind a new study joint. As the researcher explains: When a jogger expires or coughs, droplets remain suspended behind it. The person running behind - in what is called the slipstream - therefore passes through this cloud of droplets. ” "The slipstream," he says, "is the area just behind a person who runs or rides a bike," his wake, where you can feel a suction effect, useful in other circumstances. , to cyclists. Three scenarios As the Flemish daily details, the Belgian and Dutch researchers studied the dispersion of the droplets using simulations that clearly show the movement of the cloud left by a moving person. They studied different layouts (one person next to the other, one right behind the other, one far behind the other). Their conclusions are clear: These simulations indicate that the situation of two people playing sports next to each other in calm weather is one where social distancing matters the least. In this configuration, the droplets fly behind the two people. The risk of being hit by another sportsperson's droplets is also fairly low when standing behind him or her at a distance. It’s when you’re right behind a person, in their slipstream, that the risk of contamination is greatest. ” In light of these results, concludes Het Laatste Nieuws, Professor Blocken recommends observing a distance of “at least four to five meters” from the person in front when walking, ten when running or cycling, and “at least 20 meters” when riding a bicycle at high speed. Source Het Laatste NieuwsBrussels www.hln.be
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