Definitely keep your face mask on...
Most public restrooms are grungy in the best of times. Now, we have the coronavirus risk to contend with, too. There are lots of risks — dirty sinks and door handles, airborne particles and other people in small, enclosed spaces who may or may not be breathing out the coronavirus.As a medical doctor and epidemiologist, I study infectious diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract. Here are four things to pay attention to when it comes to any public restroom.
All that bubbling, swirling and splashing can aerosolize fecal waste, sending tiny particles airborne. A study on hospital bathrooms found that the amount of those particles spiked after a toilet was flushed, and the concentration in the air remained high 30 minutes later. It didn’t matter if the test was done right next to the toilet or 3 feet away. Second and third flushes continued to spread particles.
To stay safe, be extra careful and touch as little as possible in public restrooms, including door handles. Whatever you do, don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth after touching these surfaces — your mucous membranes are the coronavirus’s entryway into your body. Enclosed spaces are a problem The air in an enclosed space like a public restroom can have coronavirus particles in it for several hours after someone infectious with COVID-19 was there.
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