Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) echoes this view, stating on its website that very few infections occur outdoors. One study from China says that, of 7,324 reported infections, only one was traced back to an open-air setting. Studies have shown that the risk of outdoor infection is very small. He says briefly passing someone during a regular outdoor activity poses very little danger of infection. He says it is recommended to avoid kissing and hugging others. Kekule says the mutants are somewhat more infectious but says this has no relevance for counter measures. "These mutants do not fly further, that's important to note," he says. Kekule says observing a safe distance is also key to prevent contracting coronavirus mutants. Israel launches 'green pass' for vaccinated people He says we should simply deal the virus, without imposing great restrictions on everyday life. Kekule is known as a critic of government measures to contain the virus outbreak. "If we do not keep this distance, looking at each other face-to-face to talk, sing, scream and spit, then we are at risk not of aerogene infections, but of droplet infection," German virologist Alexander Kekule tells DW. This means keeping a safe distance of 1.5 to 2 meters (about 5 to 6.5 feet) from others remains essential, even outdoors. However, a paper by the Aerosols Association - signed by Wehner and others - states that infections still cannot be ruled out when individuals gather in large groups without keeping a sufficient distance. "The winds have a quick diluting effect." Birgit Wehner, an aerosols researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research, says the tiny particles we exhale dry and dissipate far quicker outdoors. "This has to do with air circulation being far more pronounced outdoors," says Nico Mutters, who heads the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health at Bonn University Hospital. If the minimum distance is maintained, the probability of transmission outdoors is very low due to the flow of air."Īlthough the risk of transmitting the coronavirus outdoors is extremely low, experts do recommend maintaining social distance outside as well Nevertheless, in its coronavirus profile, the RKI also posits that "overall, transmissions outdoors rarely occur. However, the RKI points out that the debate should not focus merely on the risk of infection outside in parks or pedestrian zones - but also the journey there, for example by bus or train. The Robert-Koch-Institute (RKI), which also monitors and evaluates the provenance of infection hotspots, did not respond to a DW request for a comment on the letter. "Wearing a mask in a pedestrian zone and then sitting at home having a coffee with friends is not our understanding of effectively preventing infections," the letter goes on to say. The researchers observe that aerosols linger for much longer in confined spaces. Transmission outdoors is extremely rare and never leads to cluster infections as can be observed indoors." In an open letter to the German government and state premiers, five leading members of the Association for Aerosol Research (GAeF) write that "The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 viruses takes place indoors almost without exception. Experts say aerosols pose a smaller risk outdoors. This is due to aerosols, which are tiny particles floating in the air, which play a key role in spread of the virus. This applies to the original coronavirus as well as to mutated strains. The chances of becoming infected with the virus are far slimmer outdoors than indoors. How great is the risk of contracting coronavirus outdoors?