Joggers should wear face masks when running in crowded areas, scientists say

If the park is crowded, wear a mask

Many of us have taken up jogging over the past year. With restrictions placed on team sport, gyms shut, and a general serotonin deficiency hitting all of us in some way or another, running in parks is one of the few activities that can give us those juicy endorphins we crave. But few of us will have realised the risks involved in running through busy parks. Outdoor spaces are largely safer than indoor spaces when it comes to Covid-19 transmission, but "puffing and panting" can pose a danger to others, scientists have said. "There is no doubt the virus is in the air, there is no doubt that you can catch it if you inhale, and that someone else has exhaled,” Trish Greenhalgh, professor in primary care health sciences at the University of Oxford, told Good Morning Britain. https://twitter.com/GMB/status/1366667116255010818 Devi Sridhar, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh told GMB people should wear masks in busy areas when outdoors but should feel free to take them off when not surrounded by other people. Basically, use your common sense. "It really depends how close they are to you and how heavily they're breathing," she said. "This can spread through the air and so it is important that runners should think - I do think where am I running and I'm trying to be attentive to pedestrians because the sidewalks are there for pedestrians in busy areas and high streets. "[When] you're out in the park, take off your mask and run freely. "I think we need some consideration for each other right now. We're in a pandemic and just, you know, think how it feels for other people. "So if you're going to cycle in a busy area, wear a mask."