How Long COVID-19 Coronavirus Stays on Surfaces | UPDATED

153 Comments

1. Surgeon General saying “Don’t Buy Masks!” wash hands and stay away from sick people! If this is asymptomatic no one knows who the sick people are including themselves, which is why you need the mask!

   1. Anytime the government says “you don’t need X” you had better rush out and get X.

      1. The problem with America in Bam’s comment bared in one. We depend on the government but we pretend we don’t.

         A more rational response is to appreciate that there are circumstances in which one needs a mask. Risk mitigation is always about what are the chances of something happening …

         Most people don’t need masks. OTH, masks are especially useful if you have an ailment already and you want to protect others. The other way round involves a different level of risk.

      2. I hear u and that is a most appropriate statement

   2. I agree! They keep telling us not to buy masks because they won’t protect us, why do all the workers around sick people WEAR MASKS? I’ll keep and wear my masks when the time comes thank you very much.

      1. Not like there are any masks to buy anyway,,,,

         1. That’s the whole point others have just made. None available + want = panic & social unrest. None available + tell people they don’t want them = ok for government & society (just not for individuals who die from it!)

      2. So what about the floors we walk on and then come home and walk around if Covid 19 is coughed out then falls it will be on floors walkways etc

         1. Gwen:

            [ Read: Coronavirus Shoe Disinfecting Station ]

         2. Shoes off before I come in the house

      3. Health workers wear them to protect others from themselves because one of them might of contracted it unknowingly. Another reason is because the average person doesn’t come into direct contact with someone who is showing symptoms like coughing. The health workers also need them more than the average person because they come into contact with people who are vulnerable to dying of the coronavirus.
         If everyone bought masks there wouldn’t be any left for the people who need them the most.

         1. If there is a box of N95 masks at Lowe’s, those masks are not going to be purchased by a hospital. (Hospitals have their own supply chain.) Those masks are going to be snapped up by other customers if I don’t buy them.

            My own local hospital, according to a report I read yesterday on Nextdoor.com, is issuing one N95 mask per day to health care workers. It is also forbidding health care workers from bringing their own masks to work. I also read a news report that in New York City sometime in the last two weeks that one hospital was banning nurses from wearing N95 masks because it was causing patients to be alarmed. There simply is no fixing stupid.

            I cannot rule out that someone sitting at a desk in an administrative office at both hospitals can provide some semblance of logic to support these policies, but I can think of none.

            When hospitals are run by people who don’t think that it is important to store large amounts of masks, and who believe that it is important to ban employees from using their own, why should Joe Average go without masks if he can find them?

            The powers that be have always adopted a philosophy that the public is made up (or should be made up) of compliant sheep. The idiotic view that there was no need for the public to wear masks, the “company line,” for so long was cynical, absurd, illogical. Last week, the powers that be gave up the charade and advised everyone to wear masks while in public. Their lies were not sustainable.

            Sure, masks are not a cure all, but if worn correctly, will improve your chance of avoiding infection. Take a look at this room temperature IQ Congresswoman who can’t master the correct way to wear a mask:
            https://www.rightjournalism.com/photo-of-the-day-congressional-covid-task-force-leader-cant-quite-figure-out-how-to-wear-a-face-mask/

            Let’s say you were my prisoner. Let’s say I had the power to force you to play Russian Roulette. Let’s say that I allowed you to pick from two revolvers, one loaded with five rounds or one loaded with four rounds, which one would you choose? Now apply that logic to a decision to wear or to not wear masks.

      4. Because the chance of a health worker coming across an infected person is much much higher than most people in the population coming across an infected person.

         If you are infected and you wear a mask then you help others.

      5. how did you get your name jackal did your parents name you after the movie day of the jackal anyways we have to be safe and calm and aware of our surroundings timing is also important and knowledge of people places things animals etc when to say no for everyones safety god bless us all and all bless god,from ken d.

      6. I thought the same exact thing!

      7. Yay common sense response, Jackal. I always wear a mask even on my daily walk as I pass a lot of people not keeping social distance. (They leave it to me to get out of the way). Continue to stay safe.

   3. Well, doctors and nurses wear them.

   4. Franco M
      I absolutely agree with you, forwxample in a normal time at a party people and children use hands instead of utensils, my question has always been, how many people or children did it. I remember in the past when I had a niece with her family visiting and I noticed one of her children picking in the nose and then playing between feet toes and they were going to sit for dinner without washing hand and I asked and my niece replied, we just washed them at home before leaving! Then I am criticized because I do not like too many getting together but I have to protect me by very good hygiene to keep me surviving my medical problems.

   5. I actually think masks help both ways and this is just what authorities told the public so the stock would be available for the doctors.

      1. I agree, my doctor’s office offered (past tense) masks for everyone. I went in for a sore foot and was asked to wear one. I asked them why and was told “it reduces the chances of you getting sick from someone else here, who is sick. And if you’re both wearing masks… transmission is reduced drastically.” This was a year ago so there was no need to sensor her wording.

2. – Wash your hands. Wipe down your cart grips. if you even suspect something might be contaminated, WIPE IT DOWN! Do you have to have a mask? Maybe not. (You might not need a condom, either. You might not end up a parent.) If you have any doubt at all. USE THE PPE! That’s what it’s for! Life is to short not to protect your self. The easiest way to deal with it is just to imagine the whole world covered in a fine layer of %hit. Keep it off of your hands and out of your eyes/mouth and lungs. Once you have that little image fixed in your mind, it gets really easy.
   – Papa S.

3. Yes, I too have read that “don’t buy masks”…I merely take it to mean, “don’t buy masks because “they” want them/control”….

   re how long on surfaces…I too have read quite a variety of “times”. From couple days to 14 to 21 days. Maybe “they” do not really know.

   also, I have read, that folks who have “recovered” from this, can (do) get sick/catch it again. So, I am wondering, has any tests been done, are “the recovered” possibly still contagious?

   also, have read, that some who have tested positive for this, never seem to get sick/show sick signs.

   1. Yup, ya got that right. We have some N95 mask I bought when the local Rite Aid went out business. Don’t go buy mask, yeah right.

   2. There is no evidence that recovered people get it again. This is rumour mongering. The Nobel prize winner for Medicine Pete Doherty who won the prize for work on the Immune system (specifically how the body recognises a virus in the first place) commented it was more likely the test results suggesting the patients were clear of the virus were wrong.

      Of course, it may be the case that reinfection is possible. You can believe that if you want but there is no medical evidence backing you up.

   3. Masks for everyone as well as gloves should have been given to all and for free by the government a long time ago

   4. 470 Postal workers came down with the virus that were tested so far. My mailman wears rubber gloves when he delivers mail now. I mentioned here mail can bring the virus to your home a month ago as a way of transmigration, but the mailmen can get it from the mail they handle as well according to my postal worker which they have safety practices required nationwide. I use gloves to get my mail and wait 4 days to open/touch my mail. If I need to open bills in a hurry, I iron my mail.

      Cash money is another problem as I mentioned before…It is full of germs you’d find in a dirty toilet when passed around. I get hundreds in cash a month, so it gets put out in open air and after 3-4 days it is put away. I only write checks. I don’t use cash to buy during this epidemic because I don’t want change back. Even a credit card swipe can transfer the virus onto your card I found out because the electronic parts deep inside the swipe can’t be disinfected, and many swipes are made with cards from everywhere. I hadn’t used my card since the outbreak unless it is used in phone or internet orders, and if I used it in person, I would disinfect the card before putting it back in my wallet.

      On soft or hard surfaces, the virus thrives longer if the objects are kept damp and warm. I heard that by one of the bio-teams studying the virus. So be careful friends, and keep safe.

4. DW’s sister is a cashier at a Publix grocery store here in Florida. Told us by phone that they were crazy busy from the time that they opened (8am) until she left work at 3:30 pm. Food/beer/TP/ hand sanitizer. They ran out of the sanitizer around noon.

   1. Probably due to the (2)? cases recently reported in Florida. As cases continue to pop up, people within the regions will be “slapped upside the head” and go out to the grocery stores to stock up with what they feel they need. Hopefully it won’t be too late for many of them. Though our “just in time” systems are fragile when forecasting is clobbered… and something like this happens.

5. I made my last grocery run for quite awhile today. People just doing normal shopping here. No one even had TP in their cart! We really have nowhere we have to be for the next few weeks, and we are working on the new property getting it ready to seed for pasture grass. I keep thinking now that the regular flu season is the same virus that goes all the way back to the pandemic of 1918. So, eventually we will probably ALL (up to 70% of the world population) get this covid19 virus at some point. It’s inevitable, I guess. We will just practice good hygiene, get plenty of rest, eat right, and follow more common sense things like removing our shoes outside and hopefully not tracking anything into the house. I wipe down surfaces more, like car door handles, steering wheel, keys, etc. PHONE. All things we touch throughout the day. I refuse to fly anymore. I will miss seeing my grand babies…..for now. But I’d rather we live to see them in the future.

6. I would venture to say that the most contaminated surfaces are one’s cell phone! People walk around touching surfaces. Most would return home and wash hands. But how many people wipe down their cell phones every time they go out? People touch their phones and eat at the same time.

   1. Cell phones for sure and when the GS gets up here he will be doing so everyday.

   2. Finally, being somewhat of a germaphobe really pays off. I have been refusing to allow shoes in my house for 15+ years. I have always wiped down my cell phone (and laptop and anything else I bring out) when it comes back in. Humans can be seriously gross even when there is no new and mysterious virus on the rise. I’m just so glad I work from home. I go to the gym a few times a week….going to take the risk as I strengthen my body.

   3. You are correct, Bam. Although I don’t use my cell phone other than Face-time at home, I wipe down the steering wheel, the shift and signal levers, the inside and outside door handles of my truck after going to the store…..but I won’t be going to the store anymore for a while. Everything is mail order for me.

7. Is there any wash for Veggies to get the virus off?
   I saw a ad years ago for one, any ideas?

   1. G Dog why not COOK them?

      You cannot wash salad materials enough to make them completely safe. Look at all the YEARS of recalls for e-coli on prepackaged salads? E-coli is a wimp compared to corona virus.

      1. Me2,
         Haven’t had Corona Virus, but I can tell ya E Coli is no Joke. Hospitalized for 10 days on dialysis for almost a month after and so weak I wished I would die.
         Took about 3 months to even feel like I might make it.
         MadFab

         1. MadFab do you still *trust* the salad bar after that life threating event?

            I was just pointing out that uncooked vegetables is not the best idea right now GIVEN the huge number of humans touching them. From the farmer, to the human pickers, to the guys hauling the crates to the warehouses, to the truckers to the grocery store AND THEN how many non-hand washed Shoppers feeling them for the “Best One”?

            If it’s not from my garden then it’s COOKED at this household…..

         2. Me2,
            Nope don’t trust anything I don’t cook myself.
            Wasn’t trying to pick a fight, just pointing out that E Coli is no fun. The outbreaks are so many as of late, I think people downplay the severity of it.
            Hope no discord because of the comment.
            MadFab

         3. No my friend Mad Fab no discord. I would enjoy you as a neighbor.

            Be safe friend,

   2. G Dog

      I don’t remember the concentration but a quick soak ( 1 or 2 minutes depending on how strong you mixed it) in water with bleach use to be recommended if vegetables were thought to be in need of “decontamination”. :)

      1. Deep South given the CDC recommendations for corona virus decontamination is 10 MINUTES of wet soak of 10% Bleach…. How do you suggest washing off all that bleach and what about what SOAKS into your food?

         I don’t have the Material Safety Data Sheet for 10% bleach before me right now BUT I am Real Sure they don’t suggest eating it….

         What’s for Dinner? COOKED Food…. I pretty sure well roasted or boiled veggies are pretty safe. But then again I’m not a Dr. nor do I play one on TV…..

         1. You don’t?! 0_o

         2. Lauren LOL shocking eh? Several decades of surgical experience but not a Dr.

            Have delivered plenty of babies, set bones, pulled teeth, cleaned and sutured wounds in the battlefield in MASH units but not a Dr.

            Bacteria is alive and technically a virus is but a bit of DNA awaiting a host cell to take over. Chemicals needed to kill most bacteria unless it’s encapsulated in spore form is not always that harsh like diluted vinegar wash for E-coli salad issues. BUT even then incomplete washing can allow fecal contaminated (that’s what e-coli contamination IS) to remain on the salad folds and such so not always effective.

            Viruses need to have their DNA denatured so the chemicals needed are quite harsh like Bleach and long exposure times.

            I am making an educated guess that routine cooking of food will denature the dangers of corona virus contaminated foods. If not then unless living off last years canned foods and such we are pretty screwed eh? I don’t know about your garden but mine is still in the seedling stage.

         3. Oh, seedlings! The greenhouse is getting a workout this year, that’s for sure.

         4. Me2

            10% of a 8.25% solution (.825%) is not that strong. In my admitted limited use of using a bleach solution to clean vegetables I have never experienced bleach soaking into anything. Only porous materials or very extended soakings, hours, would have any trace of bleach left. A thorough rinse washes off the solution very easily.

            The chlorine used to treat municipal and rural water systems is the same active ingredient as house hold bleach. So……..

         5. Friend did you soak it for 10minutes? That’s the time suggested for decontamination. Also city water is a lot less chlorine. Test soak a head of romaine for 10minutes and rinse it. Please let me know how that works out.

         6. I would not use bleach to soak my vegetables. The stems are where they adsorb water, like a Christmas tree. I wash the leaves before use in running water, and never had a problem.

            When E-coli is found on lettuce, cabbage, etc, it is because excrement is thrown on the fields of vegetables instead of composted which bakes it sterile like other commercial fertilizers. They are not washed before the market, and most lettuce, cabbage, etc like this is found in Mexico.

            On the other hand I had someone go to Mexico to buy tooling hides for my leather tooled pictures, and when he came back, I opened his van door to see the hides, and PEE-YOUUU! It smelled like an outhouse and I wouldn’t buy any—they cure their hides by peeing on them.

   3. Most veggie wash is just diluted vinegar. Then rinse well and eat (or cook).

   4. @G Dog,
      Here’s something,
      https://modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-kitchen/use-white-vinegar-to-clean-todays-dirty-contaminated-vegetables/

      1. I thought a percentage of water with peroxide could be used also.

      2. Wow Ken such a weak solution and short exposure time will kill off Corona Virus? Honestly Ken I suspect the disinfection your article is about is E-coli a fairly weak and easy to kill BACTERIA. Not a Virus.

         Could you clarify what is decontaminated by your article please?

         1. I believe that the object is to wash away the virus from veggies. Just like your hands. When you wash, you’re not killing the virus, you’re washing it away.

   5. Soak in vinegar water.

   6. GDog
      A good antimicrobial is a product called OxiDate, comes in a 2 gallon jug, usually from your local ag chemical supplier, use caution, will burn the crap out of you if you get it on you undiluted. Is like a 300:1 mix of water to product so goes a long way, excellent for a vegetable wash

   7. Just wondering – how long would the virus survive at freezer temperature?

      1. Skeezix

         Viruses used for research are often stored at -80.

   8. any wash would probably have an adverse affect on you. Wash your stuff with water. Boil it if you are not comfortable with eating the water washed Veggies.

      Vegetables should always be washed anyway. You know what most usual fertiliser is made of right?

8. CDC releasing figures for “regular” coronavirus (flu) today. So far this “flu season” in the U.S.

   32,000,000 cases reported
   310,000 required hospitalization
   18,000 have died

   This doesn’t include flu cases not reported by people who just toughed it out on their own.

   Does not mean COVID-19 won’t take hold and result in something horrifying, but the CDC numbers above just for the U.S. and regular seasonal flu, dwarf the numbers for COVID-19 in China, with a population 4 1/2 times the U.S. (even if the numbers from China are 10X greater than have been reported)

   Again, I’m not downplaying the possibilities. I am not panicking either. I try to prepare for anything and all. This threat will not paralyze me. Like always, I will be as aware as possible, take my normal precautions, try to approach everything using the common sense God gave me, and keep on continually evaluating my preparedness……..as usual.

   That’s just me.

   1. Dennis:
      Dont know about you, but im shooting a 104 on the local range…. Golf that is, and less than 1 minute at 100 yards.
      I ain’t bitching.
      Not only that as full of crap as I am, I’ll need those 1200 rolls LOLOL

9. I have instituted with family a “gel in and out” practice

   (it’s usually what should be done for entering patient rooms and exiting them too- and then of course actual hand washing before and examining the patient)

   the hand sanitizer bottle in car (in cup holder) and at door of house- as soon as we go into car-use a squirt and clean hands- once we enter house- squirt and clean hands- then proceed to walk to bathroom to wash hands- this should help a little
   Of course wipe down those phones and tablets- use elbows or barrier for elevator buttons/door handles- all those little positive behaviors/habits can help in long run (not just covidD,flu/GI bugs)

   1. fireswamp — don’t forget to do same to steering wheel/shift lever/signal lever/car door handles/etc

   2. Great advice. Thank you.

10. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/health-51637561/coronavirus-watch-how-germs-spread

    just a quick video that has the fluorescent hand washing/contamination under black light demonstration by a Virulogist on proper handwashing

11. I understand the “life” of any virus on surfaces depends on several factors. The type of surface metal, plastic, glass, etc, the temperature, hotter means less life time (come on summer), sun exposure, humidity and so forth. For right now it would be best to err on the side of caution and suspect every surface in the public space is contaminated.

    I use the sanitizing wipes on grocery carts but I plan to “bring my own” from now on since I don’t know what the disinfectant is and different ones take can take a longer contact time. Even 70% alcohol requires at least a 30 second “wet” contact time. Dirty surfaces have to be clean for this minimum 30 second time.

    Beware and be safe. Pray this is a big nothing after all.

12. Today a woman ahead of me at the grocery store had 45 pump bottles of hand sanitizer and was telling the cashier she was worried about catching “that respiratory virus”. Then told the cashier she needed a carton of Marlboro cigarettes. Cancer.. no big deal but she can’t take a chance on getting the flu.

    1. RC that is so funny and sad at the same time.

       1. What’s another point of stupidity, is that by hoarding the sanitizer she is making it more difficult for others to find it and keep themselves from being infectious. So she may be cutting off her nose to spite her face. 🙄

    2. RC
       We all have our vices, don’t we?
       Kinda like the people that eat junk food and drink a diet soda to wash it down.
       The other half wants me to quit smoking.
       I’ll quit when you give up your cell phone.
       I smoke the same today as when we met, she on the other hand, let’s the phone take over all matters. That’s why I drive, so she can surf.

       Ask George Burns how much he smoked:

       “On any given day, he smoked 10 to 15 cigars, for 70 yrs”

       Ohh he can’t be asked, he died at the age of 100
       1896-1996

13. OK everyone is forgetting about your freakin shoes!

    Take them off before you enter your home. I know some of you may have them stuck to the porch encased in ice in some parts of аmeгiка

    Then wash your hands with soap. Your Shoes will track in everything… Use the public rest room you track in feces bacteria, covid-19, normal influenza, etc. right into your home.

    I have the kids on strict entry procedures. Shoes off outside, Clothing off at the front door then hands are washed with soap. If the kids look dirty it is strait into the shower.

    1. White Cracker?

       I was just talking to a close friend about the shoe issue. 👍

    2. We take ours off outside also. Hubby bought some comfy in-the-house shoes to wear. I always take them off outside because, well, farm, you know!!!

       1. We do as a normal habit. After being outside where we live, our shoes/boots/whatever tends to get yucky, muddy, whatever. So we have a spot at the entrance door where we take off our shoes (the “mud room” area) and either just wear socks and/or slippers in the rest of the house. Comfy too ;)

    3. Isn’t there like a five second rule? Or doesn’t it hold true, anymore?
       If you drop an item, (food, utensil), it is safe as long as it is picked up/ate within five seconds of hitting the floor?

       1. Joe c
          ROFOL

       2. HA HA! 5 second rule – their ya go ;)

       3. Joe C,
          You can go past the 5 second rule, but only if you brush it off first. (don’t want to pick up a rock or something and break a tooth)

       4. Joe C.,

          Five second rule doesn’t work if you have a three second dog. LOL

    4. THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER!
       Excellent point.

    5. We’re a shoe free household
       (Asian habit) so its protocol for all to leave shoes in entryway (guests are asked to remove shoes upon arrival)
       There’s research that showed salmonella could live up to 4 weeks on carpet!!! So it is a good overall policy

       1. 😎🤙🏻
          Us too, is local style here, no shoes in da house,,,,

          1. EXACTLY!!
             I know that there are wooden signs/plaques re taking off your shoes that are sold all over Hawaii ( I wanted to pick one up when we were last there- hubby said no)
             Frequent guest/friends who come over already know the drill.
             Now I’ll have the hand sanitizer ready to squirt into their hands once they take off their shoes !

14. Thanks Ken,
    This is what I am thinking about. If I order groceries and pick them up at the curb, how do we decontaminate them before we bring them in the house?
    My wife said we may stick them in a bucket of bleach water! I’m not sure that will work. What do you folks think. Whats the best way to decontaminate? Open to suggestions.

    1. Man on foot
       Bags go straight into plastic trash bags & sealed until you arrive at your home. Those plastic trash bags are then removed from the vehicle, each shopping bag which is enclosed is disposed of straight into the garbage(trash)do NOT keep them.
       Each food/product item while you are wearing gloves should be washed down with bleach mixture set on a clean surface until they dry &/or can be left outside for 7 days to make sure the virus(es) have had time to die off. Extreme, maybe but with not knowing the exact days they survival on any surface better to error with a large amount of caution.

       This has been a discussion with a person have known for years, it is what they have implemented for their home and business.

       1. Antique Collector,
          Thank you, Like this . Good advice.

15. Aww
    We’re all screwed, anyway which way you have it.
    Mail, money, packages.
    Door handles, gas pumps, key pads, shopping carts.
    How’s that hepa filter on your vacuum gonna work, as you clean house? Blow it house wide?

    Kinda reminds me of the AIDS scare.

    Spit on people, urinate, deficate, bodily secretions, open wounds, etc

    Self containment? Right.
    What about employment?
    A leave of absence? If doable.
    For how long?

    Hell, I’d be happy with a total southern boarder shut down.
    Gonna happen? Nope. The dollar is mightier than the safety of the people.

    Gonna pull your children, grandchildren out of school?
    For how long?

    Exterminate your pets, as in China? Carriers.,.the .gov says so.

    That friend you haven’t seen in years, you gonna remember NOT to shake their hand? Give a hug?

    Just gonna ride the wave.
    It is what it is.

    Precautionary measures taken, of course, but to what extent?

    1. Joe c
       👍🏻
       I’m with ya it is what it is
       Going take as many precautions as I can but if I don’t go to work/will be among the homeless
       Try telling teenage son he can’t go to his girlfriends house

    2. To each their own.

    3. group hug … no
       self hug??
       covid19 is not a death sentence…i.e. 100% death rate
       people do survive
       we will survive
       all we can do is our best
       and our best is when we help each other
       the best way to help now is not to spread it
       keep calm, clean and carry on…

16. DB
    A teenage boy….
    I remember those days!

17. ….my boy…
    Not me

18. Read on Yahoo news that the virus can spread in a 6 foot area per CDC.

    1. Mrs. U…..me thinks they are wrong. I thought I remembered health authorities warning in relation (yrs back) to common cold and flu sneezes the spray could travel HUGE distances. Looked up……how far can a sneeze travel
       and found this
       “Up to 200 feet.
       Dude, cover your mouth! Based on new research from MIT, we know now that when you sneeze, it can travel as far as 200 feet–all thanks to a previously undetected gas bubble known as a “multiphase turbulent buoyant bubble.”

       and

       ”
       How far can a sneeze or cough travel?
       But according to research by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it’s not just the person next to us we should worry about: coughing spreads droplets as far as six metres, and sneezing as much as eight metres. These droplets stay suspended in the air for up to 10 minutes”

       1. Yes and when those droplets land, they have contaminated whatever surface they happen to be near- which of course is now a “fomite” and depending on the virus/bug/bacteria and the actual material->they can live happily for quite some time

          now some unsuspecting human touches said object and can transfer it to other surfaces (or if they touch their face for the vulnerable points of entry->mouth/nose/eyes and infect themselves)

19. Just stopped at Wally World and Safeway returning from TSC. No hand sanitizer, with sign up at WM saying unknown when it will be replenished. No disinfecting cleaning supplies on the shelves either. Stocked up > a month ago when we first chatted about this.

    Thanks for being here MSB family. Thanks for this wonderful forum Ken.

    1. Annony Mee
       When you have time check your mail, will see what can be done.

       1. Thank you dear Antique Collector

          Stocked up on additional hand sanitizer, cleaners, alcohol, soap as soon as the news hit back in January.

          Was in West Africa for the start of the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Countries ran clean out of all of this and folks were scrubbing themselves and their children with salt. It was an awful time and was sad to see people so very
          frightened.

20. There are risks we all take every day. Do you drive a car? Do you go in the sun without a hat or sunscreen? Do you eat food large enough to possibly choke on? We each have to decide what risks we’re willing to take. The lady buying all the hand sanitizer yet buying cigarettes…she was used to the risk of the cigarettes, so it didn’t bother her.

    I go to work everyday. I stay in my cubicle for most of the time, and I wash my hands well and often, but I don’t tell people to stay away from me, even if they’re sick. (And EVERYONE is sick!) I’m still going to church and doing my volunteer work. As soon as I get home, I change clothes/wash up.

    Once in a store, I am especially conscious of not touching my face until I get home and wash my hands. Everything I buy (excluding refrigerated/frozen items) goes in a particular area of the house. It sits there for two weeks. Then I put it away. Packages are opened before I change out of my “outside clothes,” just long enough to verify what they are. Then they sit with the store-bought items. I’ve been doing this since I first started hearing about this new virus. I don’t think I’m going to the store anymore, except for milk. Have I gone overboard? Probably. I’m sure pretty much everyone I know would think so.

    My guess is that I’ll catch this. I’m just hoping to put it off until doctors know the best way to treat it.

    1. Wendy
       A doc i know said to work on boosting immunity, others on here same too, thats what we are doing, i think thats as good a plan as any, eat healthy, take supplements, wash hands etc,,,
       Most likely not much else we can really do unless we live in a bubble!

       1. Timberplot — just bought some Elderberry capsules from health food store. Do you know is capsules as good as syrup? Do you suppose I should take capsules 3 days on/3 days off? as you suggested with syrup

       2. I’ve been told by my doctor not to take elderberry as it can cause a cytokine storm in your body if you get the virus. She admitted this could be wrong, but it could also be right. Don’t think I would want to take the chance

21. Think about cash! How many people in a month handle the same bills! Yeah I know use credit card or bank card.It always grossed me out when we occasionally eat fast food and the person wrapping your food handles cash also, sometimes even with gloves on. I’m done with that!

22. We were in Walmart again tonight. We had to pick up one of dh’s prescription medications. The first thing we noticed is they were out of carts. I had never seen Walmart out of carts. (We live in a medium sized city in Florida. We have 50,000 students on Spring Break. There should not have been that many people in Super Walmart.) But there were. The OTC medications were hit hard. Entire shelves were out. We were able to pick up additional bleach wipes, paper towels and napkins. The paper products were almost sold out. They were doing a good job restocking items. Hopefully that’s the last time we have to go out. We stopped by Wendy’s for a quick dinner. I noticed just about everyone playing with their phones while eating. I imagine these are the same people who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom or wipe the handles on their grocery carts.

23. I found a website that is a data and video aggregate of all things CORONAVIRUS.
    It’s the most comprehensive and updated site for worldwide information:

    nothingburger dot today

    Once you access the main website’s front page, be sure to go to the Information Sources section. There is a Twitter reference for BNO News, so click that url. Once you are at the news Twitter feed, there are many articles at the upper-right section and you can click-thru to read the latest posted news. There is a great deal going on that we’re not getting the information on!

    Then, brace yourself and check the Archive section. Watch some of the videos…..

    I really like their line at the bottom of their website:
    “We just need to make sure that nobody knows until everybody knows.”

    1. Modern Throwback,
       Sounds good, Whats the name?

       1. It’s nothingburger dot today
          Not a conventional URL, I know….but type as it is presented with a . to replace the ‘dot’ and no spaces.

          There’s more there than nothingburgers!

24. MT,
    That quote was used in the movie “Contagion,” which I just re-watched the other day.

    1. Good flick! I really need to rewatch that movie again…doom porn becomes real world.

       1. “Contagion”

          Yes, I’m going to watch that one again too…given how it rhymes with what’s going on today.
          It came out in 2011.

25. This morning’s online news….
    Pause for thought…for sure..

    “BEIJING, March 3 (Reuters) – Worrying cases of recovered coronavirus patients in China testing positive again for the infection have raised questions among doctors about the criteria being used for discharging people from hospital.”

    “This has raised disturbing questions about the true state of people’s recovery and their potential to spread the virus without showing symptoms and has led to calls for more stringent scrutiny of people being discharged.”

    1. I wonder if they become zombies if they re infect a third time?

       Now that would be weird!

       1. Gotta remember it takes a head shot to dispatch them .zombies that is.😶

26. I was just looking at pictures on one of the kook-leaning sites (HT). Apparently the Florida State Police are escorting the FNG “Bio Weapon Response Team” to the state capitol in TLH.

    Get this… they are “celebrating National Guard Appreciation Day”.

    Wow. How cool is that? I’ve personally NEVER heard of “National Guard Appreciation Day”. I must be a bad American. -Hangs head in shame… walks away-

27. Ken , Many of the questions raised in this article will not be KNOWN until all the data is exposed and dissected. Maybe 2 -5 years. All we have is best guesses. Each of us will be like the lady purchasing scads of hand sanitizer and cigs.. we will All take risks. Each must choose how many and what kind to take..
    By information not being clear, concise and true…some will take risks they do not understand. Those who operate out of an abundance of caution-considering each surface as covered in some contaminate-.will have a better chance than most to avoid exposure that results in illness. Using the appropriate antivirals can mitigate any limited exposures according to several herbalists…
    Estimates exist that say 70% will have this illness. May we change this outcome, by letting others who are receptive to the information, know…and choose their method.. Choose your best methods for protecting you and yours…

    1. @Just Sayin’, to be clear, I am not saying that the internet research that I did on currently available information about covid-19 — has resulted in ABSOLUTE answers.

       Also, you are correct in that we will not know the accurate numbers in all likelihood for quite some time.

       We currently do not know with any certainty (regarding highly accurate numbers) how long covid-19 remains on various surfaces. But apparently some research has revealed helpful guidelines for coronavirus.

       Similarly at this time we don’t know with any certainty regarding whether or not products like Lysol, Clorox, wipes, disinfectants, etc., — effectively work on killing covid-19. Though it’s a coronavirus class virus, covid-19 is brand new. There is not data in this regard that I could find at this time which I feel comfortable with publishing.

       In fact that was going to be today’s post topic (Disinfecting for covid-19). But there’s no concrete evidential testing and results that I could find for covid-19. It’s too new. Unknown. So I’m not going to post on that, yet.

       With that said, the best I can do is put out information that’s reasonable and sensible. I can draw temporary conclusions based on data that does exist (i.e. the statements within the article above, of which I cited on source – though I researched many).

       Additionally, there are nearly always outliers. The extremes. Though they’re typically not common – because otherwise they would not be outliers, but the norm.

       Anyway, I feel that I’m doing a service for anyone who takes the time to read my blog. People can take it or leave it.

       1. Ken,
          A late reply.. I just saw your reply..
          . I believe you are doing a great job.
          I was just pointing out the obvious…was thinking with my fingers and did not mean it as an attack on your article.. So much information is out and some of it is opposite of other information/ so much so both can not be true…… so hard to know many factors.
          I do KNOW i do not want this virus ! The after effects and unknowns of this one makes it a bad combination..Permanent 20% of lung is damaged, a second type L strand has nerve/brain involvements? Can one catch it again? or does it just go in hiding like LYme?
          I do know- i don’t trust a vaccine- ie..too many added ingredients and i already have nerve damage.. others may have other reasons- that is mine . … Since that is my stance, I want to know every thing possible i can do to stay safe.
          This site allows me to gather as much information as possible from many people from different walks and experiences of life. I do appreciate your hard work… Thank You.

28. anyone know if Hydrogen Peroxide, the 3 per cent in brown plastic bottles will kill this virus (or others?) thks

    1. As per Reader’s Digest, the 4 Corona virus killers are:
       1. Bleach
       2. Hydrogen Peroxide
       3. Isopropyl Alcohol
       4. Soap and water

       It also goes on to say NOT to use Vodka or handmade sanitizer (as it likely would not be correctly formulated).

       1. Me,
          They would not want anyone to use common household supplies to replace pharma or big corp answers.
          ..Vinegar and three( of many) antivirals in essential oil form and double strength normal recommended recipes is where i have gone… considering the bleach, peroxide and isopropyl is GONE from the shelf.. Having a natural option that also smells good is preferable to one that is laden with heavy chemicals like sprays often are… Clove oil , lemongrass and tea tree smells wonderful!

29. Jane, regular pharma grade peroxide is supposed to kill it… was info i have seen.. would wet very well.and leave damp.could be used to wash vegetables as well.. like leaf lettuce…. and rinsed well after…

    1. Just Sayin’ = thank you

30. As per this articles request to hear from a postal worker; I’ve worked both as a letter carrier as well as a mail handler in a processing plant, and yes, most of the mail is handled by machines. Only over-sized packages, known as, “outsides”, are all touched by human [usually gloved] hands. Damaged parcels are also usually pulled and re-taped or packaged by a worker.

    But:
    Life of a package:
    After dropped at the post office/blue box, they travel in a wheeled hamper on a truck to a sorting facility. They are then off-loaded and brought to the correct sorting machine [destinating/mail to be delivered to the area or originating/mail sent from the local area].
    A person loads the parcel onto a belt, a clerk types in the area code and the machine drops the parcel in the correct zip code bin. The parcel either drops directly into another transport-on-wheels, or a human then picks up the parcel and fills a bag. The bags load into a large box and then the box/wheels are then loaded on another truck to go towards its destination.
    -this repeats at different locations until the parcel gets to its destination.
    There the parcels are given to your carrier who then puts them in their truck for delivery.

    Most everyone wears gloves during their workday, but not all choose to. Your letter carrier is also obligated to deliver every mailbox on their route which received mail. That is touching, potentially, hundreds of mailboxes, depending on their route. I am sure your carrier does not want to get sick any more than you do and are taking what precautions they can in order to keep themselves [and you] healthy.

    If you are really worried, I supposed you could retrieve your mail while wearing gloves and throw out the boxes with the opened envelopes [or if you want to recycle; after you open them, leave then in the garage/somewhere for a month until you deem them, “safe” to reuse].

    Please remember all that your carrier and postal workers go through, I can tell you, it is not the easiest of jobs in the best of times.

    1. Thank you for the inside information. Helpful towards the bigger picture.

31. Ken, I agree with your article up above. However many health authorities in the news, all across North America, have been asserting that basically above is not possible…No you cannot get it from this or that. I don’t know if they are unaware/wishful thinking, or deliberate misinformation….

    Came across another article in Science Daily, which lends support to your article. (their times seems shorter, but it leans towards yours).

    As well, it supports that some of those “experts”/”medical people”/”Health Authorities”, are not giving correct info on news reports/etc…

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200320192755.htm
    Study reveals how long COVID-19 remains infectious on cardboard, metal and plastic

    People may acquire coronavirus through air and by touching contaminated surfaces

32. im a welder in tulsa we have steel in our yard from all over the world, how exactly can I work from home? so far as of last Thursday they were saying we will not stop working… but or wire, ppe, gloves etc come from out of state also????? they have shut down tulsa? I work in Claremore im scared ill loose my job and my apartment everything cause this crap? how am I supposed to work?

    1. Scary times for sure babygirlwelder.
       I thought i had work for years lined up, its pretty much all on hold for now. Who knows if it will ever come on line again. Im just lucky we have some land and i can grow stuff, thats where im going, got not much choice right now

33. How long can the coronavirus survive in our home freezer?
    I am quarantining most outside items there if they fit.

    1. Steve:

       I’m pretty sure that freezing only helps preserve a virus. Heat (and/or soap) kills it.

       1. Wish I had the link to provide, I recall reading a Q&A with an epidemiologist with respect to the virus’s “half-life,” (degradation) of the viral load as pertains to items in your freezer vs. room temperature – bottom line – no long terms studies have addressed this (published at least) however, it is presumed to live much longer, how long? Not known, but keep in mind there is a reason they store samples in commercial/lab fridges/freezers for study.

          1. – DBA,
             When medical researchers were studying the 1918 flu, they needed viral samples (Now known as H1N1, by the way). They went to Alaska and exhumed some of the bodies of those who died then and were buried in the land of permafrost.

             Long story short? They were successful.

             – Papa S.

          2. Papa Smurf

             ok then..That they got viral samples after that length of time, re enforces my concern about the funeral arrangements which seem most common in North America…Burial. Why are they not routinely cremating? Seems like the safest way to destroy this (or any) virus/contagion.

          3. I had not heard that; both interesting and scary.

    2. steve ladd;
       Freezing will not kill the Virus.
       Your better off keeping “outside items” away/isolated for 10-15 days at room temps.

34. Coming home from the grocery takes a lot more work now. I get a pan of bleach water and a clean dish rag and wipe EVERYTHING down no matter what it is. Even the bags which I used to keep now go in the trash. Then the veggies and fruit get washed, which I used to do anyway, but now add a couple of sprays of Clorox Cleaner to my eco type liquid dish wash detergent. Rinse well of course and air dry. The boxes coming in are sprayed with my 70% and 190 proof combo of alcohol, let sit till the next day. Just put a trash bag in the foyer and spray away. When they get opened, items are taken out, wiped down with cleaner or alcohol and let sit for 2 or 3 days. Some items can be washed. I still let it set out for a day or so. Then I wash my hands again!

35. A postal carrier in the county next to mine (WI) was positive for Covid 19. He ended up in the ICU, but thankfully recovered. His route was rural, and I’m assuming he didn’t wear gloves. I don’t always wear them when I get the mail out of my rural mailbox, but do leave the mail outside on the porch for a few days, and I head straight to the bathroom, opening door handles with my elbows as I go, and wash my hands thoroughly. I thought I was being a bit obsessive-compulsive until I heard about the mail carrier.

    1. Farmgirl,,,
       I get ours wearing gloves, put it in my shop and let each pile sit 4 days, all packages too from fedex or ups. Just not worth taking chances…
       When i have to go to PO to pick something up that tracking was screwy i wear gloves, mask and have sanitizer wipes inside drivers door, open truck wipe gloves, keys, door handle every thing i contacted down and leave gloves on toll home then wipe everything again,,,
       Nutsy kookoo i know but just not taking the chance

       1. Kulafarmer,
          Thanks for sharing that. I really should wear gloves when I get our mail. I do leave packages outside on the porch for days. There’s a shipment of dogfood that’s been out there for a few weeks now!
          I know in my gut that it isn’t ‘nutsy kookoo’, really, just like you do. It’s just that everything on the farm is so normal, so removed from this new, surreal reality, that it’s easy to downplay it.
          I deliver my packaged beef to my customers, and wear an N95 and gloves before I even open the freezer to pack the order. I’m very careful, because I’m concerned for their safety. Guess I have to start doing a better job with my own!

36. How do you sanitize the evaporator coil and duct work in a car/truck or your home? You don’t, it is not practical. As the cool air circulates it lands on the inside surfaces of your vehicle or home. Lower temperatures actually help the virus survive and once landing on the warm surface of a room it is very contagious again. Now, let’s go to a car dealership and by a car!!!! Or rent a hotel room. Or serve on a Navy aircraft carrier!

    1. Texas Boy –

       Car/Truck – open the re-circulation flap, fan low, Lysol the Evap

       Home – Use ductless mini-splits – open the filter flap, zap the Evap.

       Even with a traditional A-frame Evap, fittings could be placed, or as Ision discovered, a UV tube can be inserted.

       Just some McGyver-ish ramblings.

    2. Texas Boy:
       Simple, park the car/truck in the hot texas sun.
       Don’t drive it for 3 weeks.
       Good to go

    3. I really don’t know if it makes even a small dent, but I’ve been running an air cleaner with a true HEPA filter 24/7 in our place. It may not get everything, but a reduced viral load is better than the full monte. We don’t have AC, and use woodstove heat, so ductwork isn’t an issue. I also have a routine of wiping down all the touchpoints in the house. I make a game of it with the younger kids to see who can come up with places to wipe that might have been forgotten.
       Seems like there ought to be a way to filter the air early in the circulation process, before it splits into all of the ducts and blows out into your living areas? Even if your HVAC isn’t set up for that, could you rig something, using a HEPA filter large enough to cut to fit? Or at least put filters under the grills (?) of the ducts in each room?

    4. UV-C Light is all you need…and all the Navy needs…to decon any air system, or any compartment, or piece of equipment. Not only will this radiation kill the virus…which is one of the easiest things to kill with this light…it will kill everything else, too. Bacteria and Mold, which is the hardest to kill.

       If you install powerful enough UV-C lights, which are all over 36 Watts minimum, and you can step up the wattage to extreme levels…if you wish…and the time it takes for the radiation to kill your target pathogen drops the greater the UV-C wattage becomes. So, if you wish to sterilize moving air…use powerful light sources and more of them. They will keep your coils free of mold, and also any fiberglass insulation inside your ducts, which have no foil coating.

       You can turn your HVAC lights OFF…when your system is inactive. They do not need to be on all the time. The lights will also decon your air filter intake surface, too.

       It will not matter if the coil is wet from condensation. UV-C is used to decon water, too.

       The kool thing is…the same system you have inserted into your HVAC unit, can be easily removed and transported to any place in your home…and used to decon whatever you wish. They only thing is to take the proper precautions so you will not be harmed by the radiation.

       All one need do…is know how to read the technical information on UV-C light use.

       1. Ision — Maybe not.

          Have read several reports UV is not effective with this virus (though apparently is with much else).

          The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that UV light should not be used as a disinfectant for the coronavirus. “UV lamps should not be used to sterilize hands or other areas of skin as UV radiation can cause skin irritation,” the agency said.

       2. Ision
          more on COVID-19 and UV Light, from BBC

          There’s only one type of UV that can reliably inactivate Covid-19 – and it’s extremely dangerous.

          “You would literally be frying people,” says Dan Arnold, laughing in disbelief.

          Arnold works for UV Light Technology, a company that provides disinfecting equipment to hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and food manufacturers across the UK. Recently, as the global anxiety about Covid-19 has reached extraordinary new heights, he’s found himself fielding some unusual requests.

37. Ken,

    I’m glad you brought up the issue of the mail. I had a lady accuse me of fear mongering when I questioned if we needed to worry about the mail being infected. Common sense says that it is a valid concern. The lady who scolded me said, “There is no evidence that viruses can be transmitted through the mail!”. My reply to her was, “Where is the evidence that it CAN’T be transmitted through the mail?”. Of course, she had no response to that question. I think normalcy bias is keeping people from using good ole common sense.

    1. Normalcy bias tends to cloud logic and common sense at times.

38. I bleach solution just about everything, cans and plastic jars get dipped and allowed to dry. Bags like potato chip bags get rolled in the solution and allowed to dry, eggs also get dipped. I have been wiping cardboard but am re-thinking that. I’m going to start using a heat gun on the cardboard. I’ll stand upwind when I do.

    I’ve been collecting my mail from the corner mailbox with gloves on. The mail goes into a large paper bag. When it comes into the house it goes into the oven at 200 degrees for half an hour.

    A cardboard boxed shipment from Hong Kong was sprayed with the bleach solution. I let it sit for 20 days before I opened it.

    They found the virus on one of the cruise ships after 17 days. We are living through a historical event. I’m very glad I live rural as crowding greatly contributes to the spread. I don’t think you can be too careful with this.

    On the masks, I wore N95s in the ER on many occasions. Patients that were suspect for TB were the usual reason. They wore regular masks to diminish the spread. If there was not a shortage on the N95s I think the general public would be well served with advice to use them. I found a 3 pack on the paint shelf the other day that the wife bought at a thrift store for 50 cents. Scored! I advised my brothers to stock up on them mid January when it became obvious that something bad was happening in China and I doubted that it could be contained. Thankfully they listened.

39. I sure would be unhappy if one of those mail pieces was a signed check to me and the ink melted on it! LOL…

    1. Have not had any problems other than occasionally the plastic window on the envelope is damaged. Not too many folks sending me checks though. Not sure what temp effects printing. I’m in the habit of removing labels from medication bottles and I usually do it by heating them in the microwave with water in the bottle. That does damage the label as it turns it darker. Zero damage to anything in the oven at 200 other than the plastic windows. I started doing this in January.

40. Coronavirus CAN survive exposure to high temperatures for long periods, study shows — suggesting current measures to disinfect research labs are ineffective
    •Disinfectant protocols in labs typically see samples heated to 140°F for an hour
    •This is sufficient to kill most viruses that experts might work with, such as Ebola
    •However, French experts found that COVID-19 calls for more extreme measures
    •To ensure the pathogen is deactivated, it must be heated to 198°F (92°C) instead

    The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Aix-Marseille, in the Provence region of southern France.

    reported in Daily Mail

41. Coronavirus: How long can COVID-19 survive in your freezer?

    Scientists are racing to discover the survival rate for the deadly cornavirus — with reports it can thrive in your freezer.

    While some experts say that COVID-19 could last up to two years at below freezing temperatures, Australia’s deputy chief medical officer has raised the issue and revealed we still know very little.

    research into similar strains has shown that the virus is stable, if not thrives, in freezing temperatures.

    suspect that the virus would certainly survive being frozen. (fr News dot com dot au)

42. Minuscule traces” of the new coronavirus have been found in Paris’s non-potable water — such as the supply used for cleaning streets — but drinking water is at no risk of contamination, a city official said Sunday.

    The Paris water authority’s laboratory detected tiny amounts of the virus in four of 27 samples collected from around the capital (fr AFP)

    I guess, the long and short, is that this virus can survive in water. Might be something to consider re one’s drinking water source (well/stream/etc), if hunkering down.

    Wonder if a berkey can filter out?

    Boiling drinking water necessary re this concern?

    Would distillation remove/kill?

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