It’s time to disconnect the disinfection robots and keep the bottles of Clorox away that look like the entrances want to advertise to every school, restaurant and supermarket that wants to advertise its security protocols. While such protocols may reassure an anxious population, they are not necessary, according to a revised guideline issued Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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“It is possible for people to become infected through contact with infected surfaces or objects (fomites), but the risk is generally considered low,” says the new CDC guidelines, estimating the chance of contracting the coronavirus by surface transfer is lower. as 1 in 10,000.
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A worker demonstrates how to clear seats in front of Bruins and Celtics foam fingers – which show where fans can sit on March 24 – at TD Garden in Boston (Jim Davis / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The coronavirus is spread almost exclusively by air and aerosolized particles, as scientists have known for months. Despite the increasing certainty of scientists about how the pathogen is transmitted, many enterprises have continued to insist on strict disinfection protocols. In some school districts, for example, classrooms include a “deep cleaning” of the whole day.
The persistence of such practices has led to the advent of a ridiculous term – “hygiene theater” – to describe rituals that seem to do little to prevent the spread of the virus. It is not clear whether the CDC’s new leadership will lower the curtain on theater, given how trapped some of these practices have become.
“If we made half the effort to do disinfection and put it on ventilation, it would be great,” University of Colorado atmospheric chemist Jose-Luis Jimenez told the scientific publication Nature for a article published last month.
The changing understanding of the virus by scientists has made it difficult for experts and elected public health officials to give the public consistent advice.
When the pandemic began, for example, Americans were told that face masks were not necessary. These guidelines were later amended after it became clear that masks prevented a sick person from spreading the disease. Still later, scientists acknowledged that masks also protect the wearer.
The Biden government continued to ask people to wear face masks, but months of confusion and inconsistency probably weakened the impact of the message.
The science regarding fomites has followed a similar path. Initially, the World Health Organization said the coronavirus was not being transported in the air, but rather through ‘breathing drops and contact routes’, a false allegation that has been criticized since March 2020.
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CDC Director Rochelle Walensky Speaks to Boston Press on March 30 (Erin Clark-Pool / Getty Images)
It was at that time that the US saw the demand for heavy disinfectants that would kill any trace of viruses on the surface. But as researchers have discovered, such spores are usually relatively small and it is difficult to find a new human host. What’s more, simple detergents appear to be effective against the virus, avoiding the need for more advanced (and expensive) disinfectants.
“In most situations, cleaning surfaces with soap or detergent, and not disinfecting, is enough to reduce the risk,” says the new guide, which was developed by dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, was introduced during a Monday briefing of the White House COVID. -19 response team.
The use of such disinfectants, according to the CDC, is only necessary if someone known to have been infected with the coronavirus has been within the space in question within the past 24 hours. But because it can be difficult for restaurants and other large-volume businesses to know if a patron is infected – a problem exacerbated by the scarcity of rapid testing – hygiene theater is likely to be so unnecessary and expensive. on.
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