Does the corona virus stick to clothes, shoes, hair, papers?

Faced with the unexpected spread of the Covid-19 epidemic, many people are worried about the risk of the corona virus entering their homes, clinging to personal belongings, and even on papers, newspapers, and magazines.

How to prevent the spread of corona virus when going to the market, washing vegetables, doing laundry

Infectious disease experts, aerosol scientists, and microbiologists answer these questions.

Do I need to change clothes and shower as soon as I get home?

Most of us are practicing social distancing and only making occasional trips to the grocery store or pharmacy, and experts say it's not necessary to change clothes and shower immediately upon returning home. However, you should wash your hands immediately. It's true that a person with the virus will cough or sneeze and release virus particles into the air, but most of them will fall to the ground.

Research shows that some tiny virus particles can float in the air for about half an hour, but they are not like a swarm of gnats and are unlikely to stick to your clothes. A droplet is small and light enough to stay in the air for a while, but it is not likely to stick to clothes due to aerodynamics. These droplets usually just float, hovering in the air around you.

Why don't these droplets usually stick to clothes?

Moving slowly creates a flow of air around us, and these droplets follow that flow, just like a swarm of small insects or dust particles that are often swept around a car if it is moving slowly but will hit the windshield if it is moving fast enough.

Humans don't usually move fast enough for that to happen. When we move, we push the air out of the way, and most of the droplets move away from us. The person carrying the virus has to push the droplets out with enough force, like a sneeze or a cough, for them to land on your clothes. The droplets also have to be large enough that they can't be carried away by the air currents for them to land on your clothes.

So if you go to the store and someone sneezes on you, you should go home, change your clothes, and shower; otherwise, rest assured that your slow movement while shopping will push the air and virus particles away from your clothes.

Can the virus stay on hair or beard?

As explained above, you shouldn't have to worry about your beard or hair picking up the virus if you're practicing social distancing. Even if someone sneezes on the back of your head, any droplets that land on your hair are unlikely to be a source of infection.

If you think about the process by which a person can get infected, someone has to sneeze on you, that person has to release a certain amount of virus in that sneeze, and then enough droplets have to land on you. Then you have to touch the hair or clothing that has those droplets on it, and then you have to touch your face. When you go through the chain of events that have to happen, you can see that the risk is very low.

Do I need to worry about washing and folding clothes? Should I shake the virus particles off my clothes and into the air?

The answer depends on whether you are doing regular laundry or laundry for a sick person.

If it's a regular wash, don't worry. Just do your normal laundry. Some viruses, like norovirus, are difficult to remove, but the new coronavirus, like the flu virus, is surrounded by a fatty membrane that soap can easily break down. Washing your clothes with regular detergent and drying them should be enough to remove the coronavirus from your clothes, if it's on them.

We know that viruses can be carried on fabrics (in droplets that stick to fabrics) and that when you shake clothes they can be released into the air, but you would have to have a lot of viruses on your clothes to be concerned, much more than you would encounter when you go out for a walk or to the store.

The exception is if you have been in close contact with a sick person. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing gloves when cleaning the sick person's belongings, and taking care not to shake the person's clothes, bedding, or pillowcases. Wash them in the hottest water possible and dry them immediately after washing. You can wash the sick person's clothes with the rest of the family, but you should let them sit for a while before washing them because the virus will dry out and die. These viruses tend to break down faster on fabrics than on hard surfaces like stainless steel or plastic.

How long is the virus infectious on fabrics and other surfaces?

Most of the information we have about how long the novel coronavirus survives on surfaces comes from a key study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2020. The study found that under ideal conditions, the novel coronavirus can survive for up to three days on hard metal and plastic surfaces, and up to 24 hours on cardboard.

But this study doesn't address fibers. But most virus experts believe that previous studies have provided some clues about what the virus does when it sticks to fibers. The natural, absorbent fibers in cardboard will cause the virus to dry out more quickly than if it were on a hard surface. Fibers in fabric have similar properties to fibers in cardboard.

A 2005 study of the SARS virus confirmed this. Researchers tested increasing amounts of virus on paper and on a cotton dress. Depending on the amount of virus, the inactivation time was very fast or slow, from 5 minutes to 24 hours. Even with a fairly high viral load in a droplet, the time it took for the virus to dry out on paper and cotton was very fast.

Should I worry about mail, packages or newspapers?

The risk of getting sick from germs in letters or packages is extremely low and only theoretical . There is no documented case of a person getting sick from opening a package or reading a newspaper.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful. Once you've received a letter, package, or newspaper, throw away the wrapping paper and wash your hands. If you're still unsure, follow the advice of a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, which recommends waiting 24 hours before handling mail or packages.

Should I worry about exercising outdoors?

The chances of you getting the virus are extremely low when you go out, if you keep the necessary distance from people around you.

First, any droplets emitted from the body will quickly spread into the outdoor air, so their concentration becomes very low, negligible. In addition, the stability of the virus in the external environment is much lower than inside the body. Therefore, going outdoors is almost no problem, unless we gather in large groups of people close together, which is definitely not allowed. Simply going outdoors to exercise is safe, there is no need to worry about airborne viruses, and there is no need to wash clothes immediately after returning home.

Do I need to clean the soles of my shoes when I get home?

Experts advise against cleaning the soles of your shoes.

Shoes can harbor germs and viruses, but that doesn't mean they're easy to spread. A 2008 study by shoe company Rockpot found that there was a lot of dirt on the soles of shoes, including fecal matter. A recent study in China found that half of medical workers were wearing shoes contaminated with the novel coronavirus.

So what should we do with our shoes? If your shoes are washable, wash them . Some people ask how to clean the soles of their shoes. Experts do not recommend this because not only does it waste scarce disinfecting wipes, but it can also transfer germs that are dormant in the soles of your shoes or on the ground to your hands.

You can ignore what's in your shoes, or you can tell your family not to wear shoes in the house, especially if you have toddlers, play on the floor, or have allergies. Additionally, placing a shoe cabinet or rack near the door can help you feel more secure.

How to prevent the spread of coronavirus when shopping at grocery stores and supermarkets

1. When you go to the grocery store or supermarket, keep a distance between yourself and other people. Why? Because when someone coughs, sneezes, or talks, they can spray small droplets from their nose or mouth that may contain the virus.

Maintain at least 1m distance between yourself and others when shopping at the supermarket.

1. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
2. If possible, sanitize shopping cart or basket handles before use.
3. As soon as you get home, wash your hands thoroughly with soap, and wash them again after putting away food.

How to prevent the spread of corona virus when going to the market to buy food

1. Make sure to wash your hands frequently with soap after touching live animals or animal products.
2. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
3. Avoid contact with sick animals or spoiled animal meat.
4. Absolutely do not approach wild animals, such as stray dogs and cats, rodents, birds, bats. and do not come into contact with garbage and waste areas in the market.
5. According to the WHO, there is no evidence to date that COVID-19 can be transmitted through coins or cash. However, droplets from infected people can adhere to and survive on the surface of money. People should wash their hands after touching coins or cash.

How to prevent the spread of corona virus when washing fruits and vegetables

1. Before washing vegetables or fruits, make sure your hands are washed with soap.
2. Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly with clean water, especially if you eat them raw.

How to prevent the spread of coronavirus while cooking

1. Use separate knives and cutting boards for raw and cooked meat.
2. Wash your hands between each transition between touching raw and cooked foods. - Do not eat meat from animals that have died of disease.
3. In areas where there is an outbreak, all foods of animal origin must be thoroughly cooked and properly prepared.

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