Social distancing is pointless without a mask, Cambridge University study suggests

• Study used computer modelling to measure droplet travel distance from coughs
• They found 2metres was no defense against potential infection, even outdoors
• Researchers urged people to keep wearing masks as country heads into winter 

The two-metre social distancing rule still followed by four in ten Britons today may be pointless unless you wear a mask, a study suggested today. 

Cambridge University researchers found that a mask-less person with Covid can still infect others at that distance even when outdoors. 

The two-metre social distancing rule imposed by the UK Government in March 2020 during the first lockdown but Britons were not encouraged to wear masks until May.

Experts and Government initially said masks could do 'more harm than good' before reversing on the policy, making them compulsory on public transport in June and then in shops and public spaces the following month.

Studies have since shown coverings can be highly effective in reducing transmission, especially if worn by an infectious person.

The two-metre rule was shortened to one-metre this July as part of the relaxing of pandemic restrictions. 

ONS figures show 41 per cent of the country are still following social distancing when in public, while 85 per cent say they are still wearing face masks.

The Cambridge study used computer modelling to measure how droplets exhaled by people spread when they cough. 

The team said their findings highlight the continued importance of getting Covid jabs, ventilating indoor spaces, and wearing masks as the country heads into the winter months.  

While mask wearing is still advised in England in indoor settings where people are crowded with strangers, such as public transport, no such guidance applies for outdoor areas.

The engineers, who published their findings in the journal Physics of Fluids, also found individual coughs vary wildly in terms of spreading potentially infectious droplets.

They found that when a mask-less person coughs most of the larger droplets fall on nearby surfaces, however smaller droplets suspend in the air can quickly spread well beyond two metres.  

Lead author of the study, Dr Shrey Trivedi said one of the highlights of the study was different individual coughs could vary in terms of droplet distribution. 

'Each time we cough, we may emit a different amount of liquid, so if a person is infected with Covid, they could be emitting lots of virus particles or very few, and because of the turbulence they spread differently for every cough,' he said.

Professor Epaminondas Mastorakos, an expert in fluid mechanics from the University of Cambridge urged people to keep wearing masks indoors.

'We’re all desperate to see the back of this pandemic, but we strongly recommend that people keep wearing masks in indoor spaces such as offices, classrooms and shops,' he said.

'There’s no good reason to expose yourself to this risk as long as the virus is with us.'

The researchers are planning to continue their study for specific indoor settings such as lecture halls in universities.   

There has been fierce scientific debate about how well masks work at reducing Covid transmission, despite nearly every country in the world mandating or encouraging their use. 

Lab tests and observational studies have shown masks can block infected people from exhaling up to 80 per cent of the virus into the air and also protect wearers from inhaling up to 50 per cent of the particles.     

But real-world studies, which involve more scientific rigour, have produced mixed results, with some showing they have a huge impact on infection rates and others showing virtually none.

Any protection offered can also depend on the type of mask worn, with medical-grade coverings much better than cloth or surgical masks, as well as if someone wears them correctly. 

Recent data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS)  showed 29 per cent of Britons under-30-years-of-age didn't wear a mask when they went outside their home in the last week.  

In comparison, only 18 per cent of 30-and-49-years-olds didn't wear a mask outside, falling to 10 per cent in the over 50s and 4 per cent in the over 70s. 

In total 85 per cent of adults reported wearing a mask during the last week, this compares to 97 per cent who reported doing the same at the same time last year. 

Whether you need to wear a mask or not in the UK is currently dependent on what you are doing and where in the country you live. 

In England compulsory mask wearing was ditched in July as part of the removal of pandemic restrictions, though people are still required to use them in health and care settings. 

In Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland masks are legally required on public transport and in most indoor venues, with the notable exception of pubs and restaurants. 

Exceptions to compulsory mask wearing apply in all countries for people such as young children, and for those whose physical and mental disabilities mean they cannot wear a mask easily or safely.