The latest research seems to suggest it's not just droplets, but can hang in the air for awhile. That said, we're obviously still learning a lot about this.
It does seem increasingly obvious that all the wiping down of tables and whatnot is more to make people feel better than to protect them, though.
It does seem increasingly obvious that all the wiping down of tables and whatnot is more to make people feel better than to protect them, though.
If they are contained in a liquid (a droplet) they can travel a few feet and quickly fall to the ground - it's unlikely people are going to ingest the saliva of others provided they don't let people spit in their face (and now we know better than to have face-to-face intimate conversations). Masks only protect from droplets - but so does most social distancing.
But if the virus particles are contained in an aerosol form, then they can hang in the hair for quite a long time and move quite a distance. This makes aerosols a far more effective transmission method. Unfortunately masks do not protect from aerosols - in either direction.
The idea that mask wearing doesn't protect oneself from the virus, but rather it protects others from oneself is erroneous and illogical...
If the virus is atomized (carried on an aerosol such as a sneeze) it can go through a mask in any direction, especially if expelled with enough force to atomize it (turn liquid to vapor) via a sneeze.
A lot of people will not attempt to cover their sneeze or cough into their elbow when they are wearing a mask. So, in this case, mask wearing may actually be worse if those expelling a strong cough or sneeze are infected and not also trying to physically block them (and blocking methods still let a lot of aerosol through).