Quarantining clothing not best way to halt virus spread says scientist

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 28, 2020

With fitting rooms having to remain closed when stores reopen and widespread ‘quarantining’ of garments that have been handled by shoppers being planned, doubt is being cast on the effectiveness of such measures.

Bill Keevil, professor of environmental healthcare at the University of Southampton, told the BBC that the best way to prevent disease transmission is regular hand-washing and that product quarantines aren’t supported by the science.

He also said that installing copper alloy surfaces on areas that are touched (such as door and trolley handles) would make more sense as copper can kill similar viruses extra fast.

It remains unclear whether viruses and powerful bacteria can remain active on soft fabrics, even though they’ve been shown to ‘survive’ on hard surfaces for days. Even with hard surfaces, some scientists have also said those viruses may not be active enough to cause infection after a relatively short period of time.

"If people have washed their hands properly, you might argue that there shouldn't be a transmission risk onto the fabrics,” Professor Keevil said."But people are now suggesting if you try on a garment and you don't want it, that garment should be put into quarantine for several days before it's then being put back onto the shelves.” 

He also told The Telegraph that studies have shown the particular coronavirus that caused the pandemic survives less than a day on cardboard and people are making “a big jump” assuming it will last as long on fabric as on another absorbent material.