Should I avoid the elevator during the corona crisis?

Virus particles on the elevator buttons and several people in one elevator: it doesn’t sound very attractive to take the elevator now. Is it better to avoid the elevator altogether now – if you can?

elevator buttons

The coronavirus mainly spreads through droplets released when coughing or sneezing. In an elevator, the heaviest drops fall to the ground. You can wonder whether the small drops that end up on buds contain enough virus particles for an infection. That is what Andreas Voss, professor of infection prevention at Radboud University, says in De Volkskrant. The buttons of the elevator are therefore not necessarily dangerous.

Ventilation

An elevator in itself is not a greater source of contamination than other places. “The room is poorly ventilated, but I wouldn’t worry too much about the virus lingering in the elevator,” Voss said.

Small space

More worrying is that an elevator is almost always a small space, in which it is difficult to keep one and a half meters away from others. You are most at risk of getting infected when someone coughs on you or when you get too close to others. So make sure you are not in the elevator with too many people and wash your hands as soon as you get home.