The corridor effect in droplet and aerosol pathogens transmission.

This study examines the impact of natural ventilation on the dispersion of airborne respiratory droplets in narrow, low-ceiling corridors typical of cruise ships, hotels, and offices, using computational fluid dynamics simulations. Two cough intensities (6 m/s and 12 m/s) and an incoming airflow of 1 m/s were modeled with two individuals coughing 5 meters apart under a one-way traffic assumption. Results show that airflow accelerates through doorways, creating recirculation zones that significantly influence droplet trajectories: large droplets (>150 μm) follow ballistic paths traveling 2–4 meters, suggesting that a 5-meter distancing policy may be effective for these, while smaller droplets (<150 μm), which carry most of the viral mass, disperse widely throughout the corridor, making distancing alone insufficient. The study recommends additional safety measures such as mask-wearing, limiting corridor occupancy to one person every 20–30 seconds, or controlling natural ventilation to better mitigate airborne pathogen transmission in such confined spaces.