Covid spreads through tiny virus particles that get inside the body. The most common way for covid to enter the body is by being breathed in from infected air. This can happen when people stand close together.

When a person breaths out, it’s not just air that leaves their nose or mouth. Tiny water droplets are also breathed out, and these can be infected with viruses like colds or covid. These water droplets can be breathed in by other people, or if they land on a surface that someone touches later, that person could catch coronavirus.

This is why wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands is so important. Wearing masks reduces the amount of water droplets that spread when you breath out. Social distancing can help keep you too far away from someone to breath in their air. Washing hands can help kill any viruses on your hands.

This section has been fact checked with Science.org. Science, also widely referred to as Science magazine, is the peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world's top academic journals.