The isolation imposed by the state of alarm in Spain only leaves room for very controlled outings, such as going shopping to the supermarket. It is common to find citizens who go to these establishments with their own gloves and masks and who wait, patiently, their turn to enter the store. Certainly, these measures help reduce the risk of contracting the coronavirus, but it is important to know that there is a significant source of infection: shopping carts and supermarket baskets.
This is the conclusion of a study carried out by the Harvard University School of Public Health published in The New England Journal of Medicine and which can be read in RPP Noticias. The study even states that this is the “greatest source of transmission” of the virus when food is purchased.
This analysis indicates that the virus stays up to three days on plastic or steel surfaces such as the handles of shopping carts and baskets. In the case of cardboard, COVID-19 can remain up to 24 hours and four hours in copper.