Saima Ikram
In March, WHO (World Health Organization) caused a lot of curiosity by saying that Coronavirus is not airborne now the organization says, spraying disinfectants can be “harmful”.
Spraying disinfectants by-large reflects a bad idea. Spraying on the streets, malls, and other public areas as practiced in many Asian countries but it does not eliminate the coronavirus, instead – it poses a health risk, WHO warned on Saturday.
“Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces, such as streets or marketplaces, is… not recommended to kill the COVID-19 virus or other pathogens because disinfectant is inactivated by dirt and debris,” explains the WHO.
The document also highlights that spraying non-infected people is not recommended under any situation. Spraying could be physically harmful and does not reduce the ability of an infected person to spread the virus. The virus spreads through droplets or contact. The document also states that spraying could be psychologically harmful.
“Even in the absence of organic matter, chemical spraying is unlikely to adequately cover all surfaces for the duration of the required contact time needed to inactivate pathogens.”
In another statement in the document, WHO says,
“If disinfectants are to be applied, this should be done with a cloth or wipe that has been soaked in disinfectant,”
It must also be highlighted that people around the country, especially Indians did raise a concern about the public spray activities in early March.
What exactly is being sprayed though? Is it something harmful for humans? Is it something that has been shown to kill the Coronavirus? This could certainly be done more humanely and respectfully, but why is a disinfectant spray of this kind a bad idea per se?
— No hay banda (@hay_banda) March 30, 2020
