Sutton Ross said: "Because as Dr. Fauci said over a year ago, it's next to impossible to get Covid from someone outdoors. It's so ridiculously rare, it had to be discussed. Enclosed spaces is how people get this virus."
How many variants ago was that?
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/outdoor-activities.html
Safer – Outdoor Activities
- Outside, at least 6 feet apart
- If you can’t stay at least 6 feet apart from people who don’t live with you, wear your mask
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/92343
"But CDC still warned that vaccinated people should keep their masks on in crowded outdoor settings, such as a parade or concert, and experts caution there are other scenarios where masking outdoors may still be a good idea -- because outdoor transmission isn't impossible."
"Marr said that it is reasonable to end outdoor mask mandates for fully vaccinated people, but certain situations may still call for it, such as close, face-to-face conversation or crowded places like a baseball game or long line, where it's hard to keep enough physical distance."
"Last fall, Bhaganagar and colleagues used meteorological models to determine how weather conditions affected SARS-CoV-2 transmission. They found that a combination of moderate air temperatures, low wind speed, and weak turbulence all increased the amount of time the virus can be airborne before it is dispersed.
"There is a lot of confusion in the community, stating that if we go outside, there is no way that the virus can affect us," Bhaganagar said in an interview. "It depends a lot on the local conditions."
Bourouiba said that wind is part of the reason that the outdoors is not as dangerous, in terms of viral particle accumulation, since strong wind dilutes and can more rapidly disperse the viral particles.
Still, if a wind current is blowing these particles directly into someone's face downstream, outdoors may not be safe either. Masks are necessary when multiple people are in proximity, outdoors or in well ventilated spaces, to reduce the range of the exhalation concentrated cloud, Bourouiba said.
While it's clear that outdoors provides better protection against infection, Bourouiba added that until a greater percentage of the population is vaccinated, keeping up with safety restrictions around others is critical.
"It's not the time to lower our guard," she said."