- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that surfaces don’t need to be sanitized as often — new findings indicate the coronavirus doesn’t live long on them.
- Experts say that high-traffic areas should still be wiped down, though using a disinfectant isn’t absolutely necessary.
- They add that personal hygiene like hand-washing should continue.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have opted to follow not just the advice but the actions of infectious disease experts.
Consider then what Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Tennessee, is doing right now: gently pushing to reopen his local libraries.
“I’ve been promoting it quietly, but I believe it’s time to open our libraries,” he told Healthline.
Schaffner, a leading voice throughout the pandemic, says he’s able to do this now thanks to research news and a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
“Based on available epidemiological data and studies of environmental transmission factors, surface transmission is not the main route by which SARS-CoV-2 spreads, and the risk is considered to be low,” the CDC wrote in their findings.
That, says Schaffner, is good news and a reason to consider new actions like reopening libraries.
“We would still have to wipe books when they are returned, but from this, we now know we need not incubate them for 5 days,” he added.
Source: healthline