Coronavirus Live on Surfaces

India

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DR KK AGGARWAL PRESIDENT CMAAO, HCFI AND PAST NATIONAL PRESIDENT IMA

New Delhi, March 30, 2020 :

Metal	doorknobs, jewellery, silverware	5 days
Wood	furniture, decking	4 days
Plastic	packaging like milk containers and detergent bottles, subway and bus seats, backpacks, elevator buttons	2-3 days
Stainless steel	refrigerators, pots and pans, sinks, some water bottles	2-3 days
Cardboard	shipping boxes	24 hours
Copper	pennies, teakettles, cookware	4 hours
Aluminium	soda cans, tinfoil, water bottles	2-8 hours
Glass	drinking glasses, measuring cups, mirrors, windows	Up to 5 days
Ceramics	dishes, pottery, mugs	5 days
Paper		The length of time varies. Some strains of coronavirus live for only a few minutes on paper, while others live for up to 5 days.
Food		Coronavirus doesn’t seem to spread through exposure to food. Still, it’s a good idea to wash fruits and vegetables under running water before you eat them. Scrub them with a brush or your hands to remove any germs that might be on their surface. Wash your hands after you visit the supermarket. If you have a weakened immune system, you might want to buy frozen or canned produce.
Water		Coronavirus hasn’t been found in drinking water. If it does get into the water supply, your local water treatment plant filters and disinfects the water, which should kill any germs. Coronaviruses can live on a variety of other surfaces, like fabrics and countertops.

To reduce your chance of catching or spreading coronavirus, clean and disinfect all surfaces and objects in your home and office every day. This includes:

Countertops
Tables
Doorknobs
Bathroom fixtures
Phones
Keyboards
Remote controls
Toilets

Use a household cleaning spray or wipe. If the surfaces are dirty, clean them first with soap and water and then disinfect them. Keep surfaces clean, even if everyone in your house is healthy. People who are infected may not show symptoms, but they can still shed the virus onto surfaces.

After you visit the drugstore or supermarket, or bring in takeout food or packages, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water. Do the same thing after you pick up a delivered newspaper.

Porous hospital materials, including paper and cotton cloth, maintain infectious SARS-CoV for a shorter time than non-porous material. [(U) Lai, M. Y.; Cheng, P. K.; Lim, W. W., Survival of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2005, 41 (7), e67-e71.]

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