Walkers, runners and cyclists need greater distances apart to prevent transmission of viruses incl. COVID-19

Keep exercising, but stay outside slipstreams.

A research paper by Prof. Blocken et. al. looking at wind and fluid dynamics, shows that greater distances of “social distancing” are required for exercise for no droplet exposure to the person behind. While 1.5 to 2metres apart may be sufficient for people exercising side-by-side, the distance to the person behind varies for different exercises (as studied in wind tunnels) and for different speeds of that exercise.
 
“If someone exhales, coughs or sneezes while walking, running or cycling, most of hte micro-droplets are entrained in the wake or slipstream behind the runner or cyclist. The other person who runs or cycles just behind this leading person in the slipstream then moves through that cloud of droplets” Prof Blocken.
 
The distance to the athlete / exerciser in front should be no less than:
5 metres when walking at 4km/h
10 metres when running at 14.4km/h
20 metres cycling (the cycling data
 

As the paper has not been peer reviewed yet, a link to a journal is not yet available, but he has released his data considering the need for good data in short time with the current pandemic.

Dr Lachlan Soper