> There was ridiculous advice that the famous droplets would sink to the ground before covering a distance > 1.5 meters,

This was based on experience with the original SARS virus.

Take this 2003 paper for example: "Effectiveness of precautions against droplets and contact in prevention of nosocomial transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)" [1]

It was a case control study in a Hong Kong hospital that concluded: "Practice of droplets precaution and contact precaution is adequate in significantly reducing the risk of infection …. The protective role of the mask suggests … infection is transmitted by droplets."

Following the science really, really does help. You just need to do it; fools of course don't.

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12737864/