[mannykannot]

I am willing to be pursuaded, but the quote you have given us contains the caveat "at distances longer than 1 meter", while, in the scenario being discussed here, distances of less than one meter are relevant.

The quote also presents its case as 'absence of evidence' rather than 'evidence of absence'. In the early (and not-so-early) pronouncements about HIV/AIDS, there were a number of significantly harmful false claims (notably, about it not being transmissible heterosexually) being made by health organizations as a result of confusing the former for the latter.

Also, let's take a look at the text surrounding these quotes [my emphasis]:

"In all other contexts [i.e. other than the experimental setup being discussed], available evidence indicates that COVID-19 virus is transmitted during close contact through respiratory droplets (such as coughing) and by fomites.

...

"As such, WHO continues to recommend that everyone performs hand hygiene frequently, follows respiratory etiquette recommendations and regularly clean and disinfect surfaces. WHO also continues to recommend the importance of maintaining physical distances and avoiding people with fever or respiratory symptoms. These preventive measures will limit viral transmission."

The quotes have been taken from a passage discussing the significance of a specific experiment.