People can catch coronavirus from others who are infected even if they don't have any symptoms. This happens when an infected person breathes, talks, sneezes, or coughs, sending tiny droplets into the air. These can land in the nose, mouth, or eyes of someone nearby, or be breathed in. Some of the tiniest droplets, called aerosols, can linger in the air for minutes to hours and travel on air currents. it seems that the risk of spread is highest when people are less than 6 feet apart.
People also might get infected if they touch an infected droplet on a surface and then touch their own nose, mouth, or eyes.