Coronavirus can survive on shoes for days: Follow these simple precautions and stay safe
Since COVID-19 came to India, people are looking out for all sorts of ways to protect themselves. Be it practicing hand hygiene or wearing a mask, you are doing everything possible to keep the virus at bay. There have already been many speculations to determine, for how long the virus survives on different surfaces.
According to a study by the National Institutes of Health, USA, COVID-19 can thrive on cardboards for 24 hours, while on steel and plastics it can live upto three days. Several studies claim that it can also live on your shoes for a maximum of five days. Since most shoes are made of leather, rubber and plastic, they can become another carrier of the virus.
A new study has found that shoes too can be contaminated with Coronavirus, especially if you have walked in crowded spaces such as markets or hospitals. Most shoes are made of materials like leather, plastic, and rubber. If a person who is infected comes in contact with your or sneezes/coughs near you making the droplets fall on your shoe studies have suggested that this virus can survive on shoes for up to 5 days. This, in turn, can be a dangerous way to spread the disease unknowingly for a prolonged period of time.
Shoes are also a breeding ground for bacteria and virus as it is always in close contact with dirt and germs. These bacteria and viruses can be carried with you all the way home where you can infect not just your but your family as well. Protect yourself and your family from spreading the virus by taking these simple precautions:
- Remove your shoes before entering your house
- Wash the shoes worn to public places with water and soap
- If your shoes are machine washable, you can wash them in the machine.
- Leather and other materials which couldn’t be washed with water must be wiped properly with a good disinfectant
- Place a clean pair of slippers or shoes outside your doorstep and change into them before entering your house
- Try not wearing open-toed shoes outside, and if you do wash your feet when you come back home
- Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water
