The expert: Nicole M. Bouvier, M.D., Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Icahn School of Medicine
The verdict: “It’s not entirely clear,” Bouvier says.
“Researchers have seen that a fair number of respiratory particles still escape into the surrounding air, even when an barrier like a tissue, sleeve, hand, or surgical mask is placed in front of the cougher’s mouth,” she says. Plus, the droplets that sneak past cough-blocking barriers are the tiniest ones, which are light enough to hang around in the air for hours and small enough to penetrate your cube mate’s respiratory tract.
One thing you can do to prevent the sickly spread is keep all particles away from your hands—either by coughing into a tissue or lugging antibacterial spray everywhere you go. Note that in lab conditions, many viruses survive longer on hard surfaces like doorknobs and keyboards than on porous surfaces like cloth or paper.