The Build-Up of Droplet/Aerosols Carrying the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus, in Confined Spaces

A model of the distribution of respiratory droplets and aerosols by Lagrangian turbulent air-flow is developed and used to show how the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus can be dispersed by the breathing of an infected person. It is shown that the concentration of viruses in the exhaled cloud can increase to infectious levels with time, in a confined space where the air recirculates. The model is used to analyze the air-flow and SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus build-up in a restaurant in Guangzhou, China [17, 16]. It is concluded that the outbreak of Covid-19 in the restaurant in January 2020, is due to the build-up of the airborne droplets and aerosols carrying the SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus and could not have been prevented by standard air-conditioning.