The threat of Coronavirus is very real as Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has been reiterating during his daily press briefings.
Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Mercy Mwangangi, on Tuesday, April 21, highlighted supermarkets as high-risk areas.
"In the early days, we cautioned you on surfaces that are likely to be contaminated and aid in the transmission of the virus.
"Among such surfaces include groceries in supermarkets. I would like to acknowledge efforts made by many outlets for providing sanitisers to shoppers, and even ensuring that no shopper is allowed into shops without wearing a facemask," she stated while addressing the nation.
While the government may be limiting non-essential movement, we may still be exposed to Covid-19 without thinking about it at one of the most frequently visited places, the supermarket.
What was previously a mundane task has turned into a nerve-wracking ordeal.
A recent survey conducted by Citizen TV journalists across various supermarkets resulted in some pretty grim findings.
"Shoppers have the habit of touching several items and placing them back on the counter and this raises the risk of contaminating the various surfaces," an attendant at one of the supermarkets revealed.
Research regarding how long the virus can survive on surfaces is inconclusive, but several leading authorities have provided information regarding the estimated duration on several surfaces.
"Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.
"This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment)," the World Health Organization (WHO) states.
Coronavirus Survival Duration on Various Surfaces.
According to a study carried out by the Harvard Medical School updated on April 20, the virus can be passed directly from an infected individual's cough or sneeze, and can also spread when a person touches a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touches their mouth, nose, or eyes.
Another study conducted at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in the New England Journal of Medicine also established that the virus survives for longer on cardboard – up to 24 hours, and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless-steel surfaces.
The various materials mentioned in the study are commonly used to package various items found in our local supermarkets such as soda bottles, shelf structures, shopping trolleys among others.
Notably, most if not all supermarkets in Kenya currently offer various hand sanitisation points, and also constantly remind their customers to observe social distancing rules.
Most of them have also installed foot markers spread out 1.5 metres across the floor of the shops to ensure the recommended distance is maintained.
What You Can Do
On what habits people can do to minimize exposure to the deadly virus in the context of shopping, WHO recommends the following:
"When grocery shopping, keep at least 1-metre distance from others and avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose. If possible, sanitize the handles of shopping trolleys or baskets before shopping,
Once home, wash your hands thoroughly and also after handling and storing your purchased products. There is currently no confirmed case of Covid-19 transmitted through food or food packaging," reads an excerpt from the statement.
Watch Citizen TV's supermarkets feature below:
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