As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise across the globe, people want to follow best practices to keep themselves safe. Despite following the social distancing norms when venturing out of the house for essential commodities, there are people who are worried about what to do with clothes and shoes? There are many who have a common question in their mind – should we sanitize clothes and shoes? For those who have such questions in their mind, here’s what they need to know.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, it is very less likely that you contract the virus from your clothes. According to experts, there is no need to change clothes or wash them after returning home from occasional trips. However, one should always wash their hands.
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It is true that when an infected person sneezes or coughs, droplets can float in the air for about half an hour, but they are most unlikely to land on your clothes.
“A droplet that is small enough to float in the air for a while also is unlikely to deposit on clothing because of aerodynamics,” said Linsey Marr, an aerosol scientist at Virginia Tech.
“The droplets are small enough that they’ll move in the air around your body and clothing,” she added.
Moreover, there are no documented cases of coronavirus transmission via the fabric. So there are very little chances that the virus can infect someone via clothes. But some experts feel that that there are certain conditions when immediate laundering is good.
This is when you are in close proximity to a coronavirus infected individual.
When it comes to shoes, a new study shows that they are more likely to carry bacteria and other contaminants.
The researchers took samples from the soles of medical staff deployed in the ICU of a COVID-19 hospital and found half of them positive for SARS-CoV-2. So it is better to take them off outside and leave at the door.
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