VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The cases of coronavirus continue to climb in North Dakota and the U.S. The CDC has recommended an additional measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It is now recommending that everyone wear cloth face coverings when leaving their homes, regardless of whether they have fever or symptoms of COVID-19.
Why? This is because of evidence that people with COVID-19 can spread the disease, even when they don’t have any symptoms. (Masks should not be placed on children under age 2.)
Cloth face coverings prevent the person wearing the mask from spreading respiratory droplets when talking, sneezing, or coughing. If everyone wears a cloth face covering when out in public, such as going to the grocery store, the risk of exposure can be reduced for the community.
Coronavirus may be the most infectious when symptoms are the mildest and people may be spreading the disease before they realize they have it; up to 25% of people with COVID-19 may not show symptoms. Cloth face masks are not the same as the medical face masks worn by healthcare workers (known as PPE).
PUTTING ON THE MASK. Remember to wash your hands before you put it on. Also wash cloth masks after each use and always put the same side against your face.
REMOVING THE MASK. Do not touch your eyes, nose, and mouth when removing the cloth mask. Remove the mask by the straps or elastic. Fold the outer surface of the mask inward and against itself like a taco. Wash hands immediately after removing. Note that the coronavirus will stay on the fabric for 2 days, so it’s good to wash it right away after wearing.
Do not let a mask give you a false sense of security. The CDC still recommends that people stay at least 6 feet away from others. As states ‘open up’ the risk of getting COVID-19 will increase.
If anyone is in need of a face mask, please contact the City County Health District at 845-8518.
For more information on COVID-19 go to www.health.nd.gov and click on coronavirus (more information) or call their hotline at 1-866-207-2880 or contact City County Health District about any concerns or needs that you may have (845-8518).
CORONAVIRUS: How long can the virus live on surfaces?
The coronavirus usually spreads via respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. They can travel at least six feet and land on someone else’s nose or mouth or get inhaled.
A person, however, could potentially get the coronavirus if they touch a surface or object that has coronavirus particles on it, and then touch their mouth nose, or eyes. So the question is, how long can the coronavirus live on different surfaces? It should be noted that there are many factors that affect this, including the temperature of the room, humidity and type of surface.
The chart lists how long coronavirus can live on surfaces at normal room temperature.
Paper and tissue paper 3 hours
Copper (pennies, cookwear) 4 hours
Aluminum (soda cans, etc) 2-8 hours
Cardboard 24 hours
Wood 2-4 days
Cloth 2 days
Stainless steel 2-3 days
Plastic 3 days
Glass 4 days
Paper money 4 days
Metal (e.g. doorknobs, etc) 5 days
Food/water Doesn’t seem to spread through food and has not been found in water.
The question then arises—how do I use this information? If you are buying groceries and you want to be safe, leave your non perishable foods in their bags for 3 days before putting them away or using them.
It does sound scary that the virus can live 3 days on stainless steel, but what’s more important is the amount of the virus that remains. The amount decreases each day. Infection is theoretically possible but unlikely at the levels remaining after a few days.
You are more likely to catch the infection through the air if you are next to someone infected than off a surface. Cleaning surfaces with soap and water and then disinfecting them is very effective. The oily surface of the soap disables the virus, then the disinfectant will actually kill any virus it comes in contact with.
The CDC recommends we clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in our homes at least once daily just to be safe.