Not being in your field, when you say "droplet transmission" are you referring to airborne micro droplets? I know of these from chemical engineering and combustion technology.
That's exactly right. Like when you sneeze and a million tiny drops become airborne. Ebola does not cause sneezing, but a patient could also have a cold and I think that means he/she could infect you with a sneeze.
Yeah those droplets can get mighty small. Recall Millikan's famous electron oil drop experiments. Imagine now one of those tiny droplets landing in your mucus membranes...and causing 'instant death' from Ebola! Then you'll get the CDC saying that you were at fault for not wearing your respirator properly....
Certainly if you could get those viri drifting around on droplets it would be bad. For the most part, the patients diarrhea and vomit are the greatest concern. Especially when they reach the bleeding phase. Fortunately this does not cause aerosolization and so a direct barrier is sufficient.
Not that I would feel safe.
Some years ago I ran a computer maintenance operation on an Army base right next to the bay (salt water). We could plot an exponential rise in pc board corrosion based on distance from the water. But 600 feet inland, there was still corrosion. That's what microdroplets do. They are airborne, and have a finite lifetime (averaging milliseconds, but based mostly on the ambient humidity and temperature. Statistical, but even after 3 sigma there are SOME floating.) 600 foot radius from one of these patients?
You might have to condemn the entire hospital if you take one of these patients in. Lives lost are then far in excess of lives saved, so this is looking to me like tents in the desert, or somewhere isolated from the cities. That's okay with me if that's what we have to do, I'd just like to see a reality orientation from the gubbermint(s).
