Abstract Background Airborne viral pathogens like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be encapsulated and transmitted through liquid droplets/aerosols formed during human respiratory events. Methods The number and extent of droplets/aerosols at distances between 1 and 6 ft (0.305–1.829 m) for a participant wearing no face covering, a cotton single-layer cloth face covering, and a 3-layer disposable face covering were measured for defined speech and cough events. The data include planar particle imagery to illuminate emissions by a light-sheet and local aerosol/droplet probes taken with phase Doppler interferometry and an aerodynamic particle sizer. Results Without face coverings, droplets/aerosols were detected up to a maximum of 1.25 m (4.1ft ± 0.22–0.28 ft) during speech and up to 1.37 m (4.5ft ± 0.19–0.33 ft) while coughing. The cloth face covering reduced maximum axial distances to 0.61 m (2.0 ft ± 0.11–0.15 ft) for speech and to 0.67 m (2.2 ft ± 0.02–0.20 ft) while coughing. Using the disposable face covering, safe distance was reduced further to 0.15 m (0.50 ft ± 0.01–0.03 ft) measured for both emission scenarios. In addition, the use of face coverings was highly effective in reducing the count of expelled aerosols. Conclusions The experimental study indicates that 0.914 m (3 ft) physical distancing with face coverings is equally as effective at reducing aerosol/droplet exposure as 1.829 m (6 ft) with no face covering. This human research study quantifies the effect of face coverings on the reduction of droplet and aerosol emission from human respiratory function. Speech and cough scenarios were tested to recommend safe social distance in the context of pandemics like COVID-19.