{"id":12754,"date":"2020-04-24T15:13:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-24T19:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/?p=12754"},"modified":"2020-05-19T20:59:43","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T00:59:43","slug":"covid-19-remain-on-guard-to-keep-surfaces-clean-of-coronavirus-experts-say-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/covid-19-remain-on-guard-to-keep-surfaces-clean-of-coronavirus-experts-say-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19: ‘Remain on guard’ to keep surfaces clean of coronavirus, experts say -Standard"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

As parts of Canada begin to reopen<\/a> following a nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, the country\u2019s chief public health officer is warning people to remain vigilant.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s reported more than 2,290 deaths and about 43,500 cases of the virus since the pandemic was declared on March 11. And while the spread may be slowing in Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island, it\u2019s still peaking in the country\u2019s most populous provinces of Ontario and Quebec.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have to tread very carefully at this point,\u201d Dr. Theresa Tam<\/a> said. \u201cWe are seeing some bumps in the road that remind us we can\u2019t let down our guard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re continuing to hunker down, getting ready for the new normal, or bracing for subsequent waves of the pandemic, now is a good time to review best practices for dealing with the coronavirus on everyday surfaces.<\/p>\n

How does COVID-19 spread?<\/strong>
<\/br> The virus can spread from an infected person through respiratory droplets generated when someone coughs or sneezes, through personal contact (such as shaking hands) with an infected person, or by touching something with the virus on it.<\/p>\n

How long can the coronavirus survive on surfaces?<\/strong>
<\/br> The New England Journal of Medicine published a study<\/a> in March, which tested how long the virus could remain on various surfaces in a lab setting. It showed that the virus was detected on copper for up to four hours, on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on plastic and steel for up to 72 hours.<\/p>\n

The amount of the virus decreased over time and so the risk of infection from touching the surfaces would likely fall over time as well.<\/p>\n

What are some of the most dangerous surfaces?<\/strong>
<\/br> Any surface in a public place is potentially hazardous because you don\u2019t know who has been there, or if they were infected.<\/p>\n

For this reason, it\u2019s important to avoid high-touch areas such as public transit, or grocery stores.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to avoid touching door handles, light switches, or taps that others may have touched and contaminated.<\/p>\n

<\/img>

\nA worker in a protective suit inside a bus at the Toronto Transit Commission \u2013 Queensway Garage \u2013 on Evans Ave. near Kipling Ave. in Toronto, Ont. on Thursday April 16, 2020.<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n

Ernest Doroszuk\/Toronto Sun\/Postmedia<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can you get the virus from food?<\/strong>
<\/br> There haven\u2019t been any reported cases of COVID-19 being spread through food, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s still recommended to follow safe food handling and cooking practices \u2014 such as washing fruits and vegetables in running water, properly cooking food and keeping counters and prep areas disinfected and clean.<\/p>\n

Could you get the virus from groceries?<\/strong>
<\/br> There\u2019s no evidence that you can get the virus from food packaging, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not possible, said Dr. Julia Marcus, an infectious disease epidemiologist and professor in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe potential risk is that an infected person recently handled our groceries, and then we touch those items and go on to touch our eyes, nose, or mouth,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are several ways to reduce this risk, including letting the groceries sit untouched for some time, disposing of outer food packaging, or disinfecting hard surfaces like bottles or cans, but the most important thing is to wash your hands well after handling anything new that comes into your home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is it possible that food deliveries or packages received in the post are contaminated?<\/strong>
<\/br> There is a chance that a delivery person, or container could spread the virus. That\u2019s why it\u2019s best to use contactless payment methods.<\/p>\n

And best practise would be to throw out or recycle any packaging. Also, remember to carefully wash your hands after handling it.<\/p>\n

That said, if you\u2019re receiving a book, or clothing that\u2019s been packed in cardboard, it\u2019s much more likely that the cardboard could be contaminated than the contents, which likely already spent days packed up.<\/p>\n

\n

High-touch surfaces such as toys, toilets, phones, electronics, door handles and TV remotes should be cleaned regularly<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

How safe are non-medical grade masks?<\/strong>
<\/br> \u201cThe recommendation is to use a cloth face mask that fits snugly and has multiple layers of fabric,\u201d said Harvard\u2019s Dr. Marcus. \u201cCloth masks can be reused, but should be washed in between uses with hot water and laundry detergent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are there any tips for cleaning surfaces?<\/strong>
<\/br> Coronaviruses can be destroyed on surfaces by using appropriate disinfectants<\/a> and following the instructions, according to Canada\u2019s health agency.<\/p>\n

Regular household cleaners including bleach solutions and cleaners with at least 70 per cent alcohol content should be effective.<\/p>\n

High-touch surfaces such as toys, toilets, phones, electronics, door handles and TV remotes should be cleaned regularly.<\/p>\n

And if somebody in your home has been diagnosed with the virus then everything should be disinfected more frequently.<\/p>\n

This story idea initially came from a reader who took part in our COVID-19 \u2018Ask Us Anything\u2019 initiative. Want to know more? Ask us a question here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As parts of Canada begin to reopen following a nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, the country\u2019s chief public health officer is warning people to remain vigilant.Canada\u2019s reported more than 2,290 deaths and about 43,500 cases of the virus since the pandemic was declared on March 11. And while the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[120,162,161,157],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12754"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12754"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16194,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12754\/revisions\/16194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/airpurifierspecialist.com\/store\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}