How is COVID-19 spread?

The virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread by close contact with someone who has COVID-19. The COVID-19 virus can also spread by touching surfaces or objects a person with COVID-19 has touched, but the risk is low.

When someone with COVID-19 sneezes or coughs, respiratory droplets are released into the air. Droplets typically don't travel far — no more than 6 feet (about 2 meters). The virus may stay on surfaces from hours to days. However, studies suggest that the virus is unlikely to spread by touching most common surfaces three days after a person with COVID-19 has touched them.

Small droplets or aerosols may also linger in the air for minutes to hours. In enclosed spaces with poor ventilation, the droplets can became concentrated enough to spread the virus to people in the area even once an infected person has left the room. This is called airborne transmission.