Will cleaning remove the Coronavirus (Covid-19)?


We are all feeling the effects of this global virus - the Coronavirus or Covid-19. Even if it is nowhere near to us and we don’t know anyone who has caught the virus, it is being spoken about on every news channel, in most social circles and it is all over social media.

At Lenehans, as a hardware retailer, you may assume that it wouldn’t be anything that we would be looked upon to help with, but you would be wrong. In recent weeks, we have run out of huge supplies of dust masks and protective eyewear, clothing and gloves. Following recent advice from the HSE and other medical sources, people have been told to keep clean and at Lenehans we are now moving a lot of cleaning and anti-bacterial products.


What is the Coronavirus / Covid-19?

The Coronavirus, or Covid-19, is a contagious virus similar to the flu. It can cause a cough, shortness of breath, high temperature and fever.

The virus is spread through cough and sneeze respiratory droplets. This can be through an infected person coughing, sneezing or exhaling droplets directly into your eyes, mouth or nose or by you touching a surface where an infected person has coughed or sneezed and then transferring it to your own eyes, nose or mouth by touch.

“It is currently believed that people who are infected but who do not show symptoms cannot transmit the virus.” - European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 7th March 2020

 


How to prevent the Coronavirus / Covid-19?

The most important preventative measure to catching the Coronavirus / Covid-19 is to not touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.


Wash your hands well regularly with soap & water or alcohol based products for 20 seconds.


The virus can survive for several hours on surfaces such as tables and door handles. So regular cleaning is a good preventive measure for the Coronavirus / Covid-19. Remember to wash your hands when cleaning down surfaces and do not transfer to your eyes, nose or mouth.


Martin Slavoljubovski (2019) handwashing photograph, Pixabay

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control say that although dust masks / face masks may prevent an already infected person from transmitting the virus and passing it to someone else, they are concerned that if an uninfected person is wearing a dust-mask / face mask that they may fall into a false sense of security, forget and touch their eyes, nose or mouth.

Stay alert, be aware of touching your eyes, nose or mouth, keep surfaces and your hands clean.

 

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