What is the coronavirus (covid

Coronavirus may survive in shoes and clothes, but…

Starting from the end of December 2019, researchers are still trying to develop research on the virus that causes COVID-19, namely SARS-CoV-2. Starting from the characteristics of the coronavirus, the effect of the virus on everyone, its transmission and spread, to what are the weaknesses of this virus.

More than one million cases of infection are spread in almost every country in the world and hundreds of thousands of people have died from COVID-19. The increasing number of cases certainly makes the public more alert and continues to make efforts to prevent transmission of COVID-19, such as washing hands.

However, a number of questions have arisen, such as whether the coronavirus can survive and stick to clothes and shoes that are worn while in public?

In fact, until now there has been no research that actually proves that transmission of COVID-19 occurs through clothes and shoes.

According to the CDC, the spread of the COVID-19 virus occurs through splashes when an infected person coughs or sneezes near an uninfected person. However, it cannot be denied that this new type of virus can survive outside the human body, on the surface of objects and infect other people when touched.

The reason is, the spread of the COVID-19 virus can occur depending on the type of surface that can make the virus last several hours to several days.

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The chances that the coronavirus survives and sticks to clothes and shoes is quite high. However, neither of them is a high source of infection.

You see, the environmental humidity that affects clothes can actually be a factor in whether the virus can develop or not. This is because most of the fabrics do not support these conditions.

Therefore, immediately taking a shower and changing clothes after leaving the house is highly recommended during this outbreak. In addition, it is advisable to wash clothes immediately to reduce the risk of sticking viruses on your clothes and bringing them into the house.

When is it necessary to take extra precautions with clothing?

Although exactly how long the coronavirus lasts in clothes and shoes is not known, there is nothing wrong with taking extra precautions.

This is even more so if you have frequent contact with COVID-19 patients. Washing and changing clothes is an important part of hygiene to reduce the spread of the virus, especially for doctors and medical personnel.

According to dr. Jimmy Tandradynata, an internal medicine expert through an exclusive interview with Hello Sehat, taking extra precautions is very necessary. This is because the virus can last longer in non-porous items, such as metal and rubber.

Therefore, when he travels to the hospital for work he makes several efforts to reduce the risk of the coronavirus sticking to clothes and shoes and other objects by several things, such as:

do not use accessories, such as wedding rings or watches
bring items and fill in the wallet as needed
Take off and wash sandals and shoes after use
wash your feet and hands before entering the house
shower and change clothes after traveling

Thus, medical personnel can reduce the level of risk of transmission even though they do not know whether the coronavirus had survived and stuck to clothes and shoes.

How about the common people? Traveling outside the home to buy something at the convenience store in a short time does not actually require you to wash clothes when you get home.

However, when you can't keep your distance from other people or someone is coughing and sneezing around you, washing clothes is an effective way. In essence, maintaining cleanliness and maintaining distance from other people are the methods considered to be the most effective in preventing transmission of COVID-19.

What about the coronavirus that sticks to your shoes?

As previously explained, the coronavirus is very likely to survive and stick to clothes and shoes. Shoes can be contaminated with the virus, especially when worn in densely populated areas or at work.

However, further research is still needed to find out how long the coronavirus can last in shoes.

So, are there certain shoe materials that are susceptible to viruses? The spread of the COVID-19 virus can occur through splashes of water when the sufferer coughs or sneezes.

If the splash gets on a shoe made from a synthetic material, such as spandex, it is possible that the virus can last for several days.

In fact, there is one part of the shoe that needs to be considered, regardless of whether you are wearing work shoes or sneakers, namely the sole. Insoles are usually made of non-porous materials, such as rubber and leather, so they can carry large amounts of bacteria.

However, experts are of the opinion that, like clothes, shoes are not a source of transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus. You don't put your shoes on the kitchen table or hold them close to your mouth, seeing them as dirty objects.

Try to keep taking additional precautions so that viruses and bacteria do not enter your home. Starting from cleaning shoes to opening them before entering the house is the right way.

If you still have to go to the office, it's best to wear shoes and socks just for work. This aims to reduce the risk of the virus sticking to the shoes and entering the house when you take off your shoes.

You also need to clean work shoes with a cloth that has been given a disinfectant so that they are free from bacteria and viruses. Also, it's a good idea to choose shoes that can be machine washed or hot soapy water.

It is unclear how long the coronavirus lasts in clothes and shoes. However, it never hurts to keep taking extra precautions so that the risk of transmission is reduced, especially when you are traveling outside the home.