Coronavirus: Disease Control

(asked on 10th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the length of time the COVID-19 virus can remain on (1) plastic packaging, (2) cardboard packaging, (3) stainless steel surfaces, (4) mobile phone screens, and (5) door handles; whether any such estimate has been revised since April 2020; and what steps they are taking to include such estimates in their guidance (a) to businesses, and (b) to the general public.


Answered by
Lord Bethell Portrait
Lord Bethell
This question was answered on 10th December 2020

In May 2020, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) published a review of Evidence of environmental dispersion for different mechanisms, and the risks and potential mitigations/measures of control within different environments from what we know about COVID-19: A brief evidence summary for SAGE. A copy is attached. The SAGE Environmental and Modelling Group published a paper on Environmental Influence on Transmission of COVID-19, which considered the evidence relating to duration of time spent in an environment and transmission on surfaces. A copy is attached.

Preliminary analysis suggests surface contacts are likely to be a significant transmission route for COVID-19. Evidence to date suggests that the virus can persist on surfaces at a level that may pose a risk for up to 48 hours, while it is unlikely to persist in air for more than 30 minutes. As new evidence or data emerges, SAGE will continue to update its advice accordingly.

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