the american centre for disease control and prevention (cdc) has updated their guidelines that novel coronavirus “does not spread easily” from touching surfaces or objects , while they still maintain that respiratory droplets and keeping our distance from other people is the best thing to do.
it’s a significant update, that also gives a slight peace of mind to people concerned about getting sick from the virus. however, the cdc does say that the “ virus that causes covid-19 is spreading very easily and sustainably between people” and that “we are still learning about how the virus spreads.”
across the border, the public health agency of canada says that, “ the virus may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days depending on different conditions”.
he told today that the focus should be “more on washing our hands than on taking care of every container we have or washing every piece or food or vegetable because now what the cdc is saying, which research bears out, is that it’s not spread as easily as it is through contact.”
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one of the government’s main concerns about the virus is that it can spread through respiratory droplets , tiny particles of saliva that are produced whenever someone coughs, sneezes or talks. if someone with the novel virus was to sneeze or cough, those tiny droplets can be infectious as well, even lingering in the air for a period of time.
there has been some concern that an infected person could spread the virus by coughing into their hand and touching a surface, and while some experts say that’s still possible, it’s not the main way the virus spreads.