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| 'Two people maximum' signs are pasted on the floor next to elevators at the Hotel Claris that is reinventing itself amid in Barcelona on October 22, 2020. AFP |
Do ''self-cleaning'' elevator buttons really work?
Without rigorous independent studies, experts say it's hard to verify claims of ''self-cleaning'' or ''antiviral'' surfaces that have popped up during the pandemic.
But they also say you shouldn't worry too much about how well such features really work.
COVID-19 is an airborne disease. Research suggests it would be difficult to catch the virus from surfaces like an elevator button.
''You get it through what you breathe, not through what you touch,'' said Emanuel Goldman, who studies viruses at Rutgers University.
Studies showing the virus can survive several hours on plastic or metal surfaces do not mimic real-life conditions, said Dr. Dean Winslow, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford Health Care.
Companies are selling antibacterial and antiviral elevator button or door handle covers. But building or office managers looking to protect employees or tenants would be better off buying hand-sanitizing stations instead, Winslow said.
And anyone wanting to avoid the virus should continue taking regular public health precautions: mask-wearing, social distancing and avoiding indoor events, bars, dining and gyms.
Routine hand washing is also recommended, whether there's a pandemic or not, Goldman said.
Are dining tents a safe way to eat out during the pandemic?
Health experts say outdoor dining tents are generally safer than dining inside, but caution that they're not all equal.
Many restaurants are erecting individual tents, igloos and other outdoor structures that let people who are dining together avoid being indoors, where the coronavirus spreads more easily.
Experts say the structures should be well-ventilated. A tent with four walls and a roof, for example, might not have better ventilation than an indoor dining room.
''The more airflow through the structure, the better it is,'' says Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, a public health expert at Cornell University.
Igloos and individual tents are a creative solution but shouldn't be shared with people who aren't in your household, says Craig Hedberg, a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
''If it's keeping you from being in a common airspace with other people, then that's a good thing,'' he says.
Between parties, tents should be cleaned and left open for at least 20 minutes, says Aubree Gordon, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She also suggests servers should be able to leave food on a tray outside to minimize contact with diners.
Tents are helping many restaurants get through lean times. But they may cost extra. In Detroit, Lumen restaurant charges $30 per person to reserve a heated structure with windows for two hours. Lumen's igloos and greenhouses can each seat six people, and the party must spend at least $300.
Once a party leaves, the structure is cleaned, sprayed with sanitizing fog and aired out for 30 minutes, says Gabby Milton, the restaurant's managing partner. (AP)
