It was early this year that we first heard the word “coronavirus.” Though the disease was completely foreign at first, we’ve since learned a wealth of information about it—things like where it came from, how it spreads, the classic symptoms, how to protect ourselves, etc.

The problem is, the information changes all the time. With such a unique virus, it’s been taking quite a lot of time to truly understand it, even for infectious disease specialists.

One of the most popular questions about coronavirus was determining how exactly it spreads. With such a rapidly increasing infection rate, we knew that, clearly, it spread very easily. But was it through respiratory droplets—aka someone comes into contact with infected particles from a cough or sneeze? Or was it simply airborne?

Experts have disagreed about this and have confused many of us with contradicting information. But now, more than 230 scientists in more than 30 different countries have agreed that coronavirus is, in fact, airborne, and can infect people when inhaled.

If this is the case, masks will be needed n all settings—even socially distanced ones. (This is probably why experts couldn’t agree on whether or not masks were effective in the first place!)

These scientists say that have proof that their conclusion is correct and have asked the World Health Organization (WHO) to update its recommendations to accommodate for this information. However, experts at the WHO says the evidence is unconvincing and isn’t ready to revise their recommendations yet.

So how can we all live in health in a world where coronavirus droplets might be hanging out any which way? Check out the video below to learn how schools and businesses may need to function going forward.

Do you think coronavirus is spread through the air or droplets? What do you think of these new findings?