Do you need to disinfect things after returning from the street

A team of German scientists from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg published an article in which they said whether things should be sanitized after each exit to the street.

Everyone already understood that the main measure against the virus was a thorough hand washing with soap and self-isolation at home. But what to do if a person needs to ride public transport to work every day.

Even if you are forced to go outside, then try to follow all previously established precautions – do not touch your face with your hands, and also do not grab hold of the door handles. When you return from the street, wash your hands thoroughly with soap, ”the WHO says.

But in addition to the face, we inevitably touch the phone, keys, bag, cards and other objects on which particles of the virus can remain. Does this mean that all things must be disinfected upon returning from the street?

In fact, the list of objects that could potentially be contaminated is endless. But this does not mean that everything that you touch on the street needs to be thoroughly cleaned after returning.

Scientists believe that we have no compelling reason to forcibly sanitize all the items that we take out onto the street. The fact is that when it comes to the risk of getting COVID-19, the real culprit is your own hands. However, many doctors call for the disinfection of other items where coronavirus can be.

Recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prescribe cleaning phones and electronics, either following manufacturers’ recommendations or using wipes or sprays containing at least 70% alcohol.

The current COVID-19 pandemic is caused by a virus that enters our body through the mucous membranes. Therefore, a special danger is that you need to avoid crowded places of other people, among which there may be infected, – the researchers write.

The authors of the work believe that it is possible, but unlikely, to be infected with the virus through any surface. For this, almost ideal conditions must be observed. An ill person should sneeze in his hand, touch with this hand an object that you will take in a few seconds and immediately rub your eyes or nose.

As you can see, even here the main threat is the hands that touch the face. Scientists are urging first and foremost to pay attention to hand hygiene – to use soap at home and an antiseptic in public places.

As for the disinfection of personal belongings, specialists cannot clearly say that these actions significantly reduce the risk of illness. However, if treating your phone, wallet and keys with an alcohol wipe does not cause any difficulties for you, then why not, scientists write.