Small droplets will remain in the air for very long periods of time (become airborne), but the exact cutoff is unknown, and can change significantly based on factors like temperature and humidity. The virus can live … According to a new study, one minute of “loud speaking” produces at least 1,000 droplets that can hang in the air for over eight minutes ... so physically does not stay in the air for long. But their cameras also picked up microdroplets, less than 100th of a millimetre across. A single cough can produce up to 3,000 droplets, while a sneeze can produce as many as 10,000. Much smaller droplets can also be produced when we sneeze and cough, as well as when we talk and breathe. "When you sneeze and cough, those smaller infectious aerosols can stay suspended in the air for longer. Because of gravity this is usually within 6 feet, but how far they go can depend on the force of the sneeze or cough. Due to the droplets' relatively large size, greater than 5 micrometres, they usually don't travel very far, and they don't stay in the air too long. NHK found that droplets from a sneeze fall quickly to the ground and do not travel very far, even in still air. These droplets are too large and heavy to stay in the air for more than a few seconds and quickly settle out of the air onto surfaces. COVID-19 spreads easily—and a big part of that spread is through respiratory droplets, like from a cough or a sneeze. We've long known about the transmission of the coronavirus via respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes, which is why everyone is encouraged to wear masks and stay … The Centers for Disease Control now says COVID-19 can spread through airborne transmission, meaning that small respiratory droplets containing the virus can linger in the air for hours and people farther than six feet apart can become infected. High-speed photography shows a sneeze can blast saliva and mucus well beyond current social distancing guidelines, and tiny droplets can remain in the air longer than thought. With normal breathing, large droplets mostly fall to the ground within a 2 meter radius, but they can evaporate and become small droplets. Rather than falling to the ground, the microdroplets float in the air and drift about. Air cleaners are mainly meant for public indoor areas, as the risks of contracting COVID-19 at your home are low as long as you don't have strangers coming and going. But that's not the only type of droplet. New research shows the coronavirus can live in droplets produced when someone sneezes or coughs for up to three hours.