![CDC Chief Dr. Thomas Frieden Updates Media On Dallas Ebola Response CDC Chief Dr. Thomas Frieden Updates Media On Dallas Ebola Response](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/coronavirus-airborne-particles-cdc.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged Monday that the coronavirus can sometimes be spread through small particles that can linger in the air and infect people who are more than six feet away from an infectious person.
The agency updated its website on how Covid-19 spreads with the information and alerted reporters in a news release. The agency last month posted and then removed a guideline on airborne transmission, which it later described as a draft posted in error.
“Today’s update acknowledges the existence of some published reports showing limited, uncommon circumstances where people with Covid-19 infected others who were more than 6 feet away or shortly after the Covid-19-positive person left an area,” the agency said in the release.
The agency reiterated that it’s more common for the virus to spread through close contact with an infected person. The update Monday doesn’t change the CDC’s recommendations for how to protect against infection by wearing masks, staying six feet apart and washing hands.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Melinda French Gates Is Going It Alone
- What to Do if You Can’t Afford Your Medications
- How to Buy Groceries Without Breaking the Bank
- Sienna Miller Is the Reason to Watch Horizon
- Why So Many Bitcoin Mining Companies Are Pivoting to AI
- The 15 Best Movies to Watch on a Plane
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com