Thanks, that's interesting and not something I've heard before. I think the CDC etc should make this clear : it isn't "an infected person sneezing near you" but "a volume of air into which someone has sneezed in the past few hours". If people knew this I think they would be more inclined to accept the distancing measures.
So there's a constant conflict between simple and easy to understand but not totally correct info, and scientifically correct but incomprehensible to most info.
Someone sneezing in your face = really bad. Someone sneezing an hour ago vs. touching something they just sneezed on... hard to say which is worse.
I get the statistical mechanics aspect, but surely saying "It can spread through the air in enclosed spaces up to <x> m and for <y> s" is understandable by anyone?
And it’s the small droplets that float around the longest. These penetrate deep into your lungs and get stuck there.