Numerical study of virus transmission through droplets from sneezing in a cafeteria

Abstract

To provide a comprehensive understanding of virus transmission inside small indoor spaces, numerical simulation of sneezing droplets spreading in a cafeteria is conducted through computational fluid dynamics. The numerical results show that dining face to face is extremely vulnerable to direct infection by others' respiratory droplets. Different heights of droplet sources are compared, which indicates that sneezing from a standing person results in a longer survival time of droplets in the air. Scenarios with fewer customers without face to face seating and turning off the horizontal supplying air conditioner are examined as well. Various surfaces are still detected with droplets in 300 s after sneezing. The horizontal supplying air conditioner causes increment in the velocities of the droplets and leads to further spreading of the droplets. It is essential to sanitize all surfaces in a cafeteria including the walls, floor, ceiling, and tables that are not occupied by any customer. Keeping a safe distance in small indoor spaces such as cafeterias does not offer sufficient protection for activities without wearing a face mask. It is recommended that cafeterias and canteens only accept take-away orders.