According to current knowledge, it is impossible to be categorical. What we know about the survival of the coronavirus in the environment comes from data reported for other coronaviruses. “The duration of survival of the coronavirus on a support could range, depending on the nature of the materials and the quantity of virus deposited, from 2 hours to 9 days at room temperature“, underlines Daniel Camus (Institut Pasteur, Lille). Several studies have examined the question, including one study published on March 17 in The New England Journal of Medicine, comparing the permanence of the coronavirus at the origin of the Covid-19 epidemic with that of the virus at the origin of SARS in 2003. Conclusion: the virus persists for example in air for up to 3 hours, on copper for up to 4 hours, on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on plastic for up to 2-3 days.
However, it should be understood that the results in the laboratory are not comparable to real life, in particular because it is necessary to take into account the quantity of virus deposited on the support. In addition, the virus enters the body through our hands that we put in our mouth, nose or eyes, and not through the epidermis !
The advice is therefore to take a hydroalcoholic gel with you when you go shopping, to clean them when you go out, then to wash your hands at home, after putting away the groceries and handling the packaging.
What to do with the packaging when returning from shopping?
Throw them away, then wash your hands. “For fresh products – yoghurts for example – remove the cardboard outer packaging to be disposed of in selective sorting, ensure the hygiene of your hands, then put your purchases in the refrigerator or freezer”, advises in Parisian Eric Tricot, hygienic health manager at Le Mans hospital.
Do you have to wear gloves when shopping?
“Most people who wear gloves do not know how to use them: on the pretext that they feel protected, they start to touch anything and everything, and help spread the virus quickly“, underlines Daniel Camus. The conclusion is always the same: you can do without gloves, but you do not put your hands in your mouth and you wash your hands with a hydroalcoholic gel when leaving the store, then with soap and water when arriving at the House.
the Ministry of Health reminds us again: “The high transmissibility of the COVID-19 coronavirus is not linked to its survival on surfaces, but to its transmission when we cough, sneeze, chat or by droplets expelled and transmitted by the hands. “
Do you have to wear a mask to go shopping?
If you come across an infected person (coughing, chatting with you, etc.), the virus can reach you and infect you, which is why you are asked to respect a safety distance of 1 meter. Due to the shortage of masks, they are reserved for nursing staff. A homemade protective mask can still be used, but it does not protect you 100%. Barrier measures (hand washing, safety distance) remain essential to limit the risk of contamination.
