02/07/2020
How to Reduce the Risk of the Coronavirus in Your Vehicle
The COVID-19 disease, commonly referred to as coronavirus, has officially become a global pandemic. This rapidly spreading virus is leaving many people asking about effective ways to sanitize the surfaces around them. And while there's plenty of information on general hygiene, there's less specific information on what you should do about a vehicle you've rented, a ride-share vehicle you've just hopped into, or even your own vehicle.
Wash Your Hands
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH) guidelines in Kenya, it is a good idea to wash your hands before and after eating, using the restroom, providing care for people who need assistance, and sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose. Washing your hands before and after you operate or ride in a vehicle can also help. This reduces the germs you bring into a vehicle, or spread around inside, and limits the risk of transmitting the virus from your vehicle to outside buildings and other people. If you're using a hand sanitizer, make sure it has at least a 60% alcohol content.
Washing your hands and avoiding close contact with people have become the best methods to prevent the illness. But clean hands won't help you if the surfaces you touch are dirty. The vehicles we drive, rent and ride in are all susceptible to helping spread the coronavirus if the proper precautions are not taken.
How Coronaviruses Can Spread in Vehicles
The problem with cars is that their interiors normally contain many different kinds of surfaces, from leather and metal to rubber and plastic. The virus can spread while sharing airspace with an infected person, the surfaces the person touched, or even the airspace after an infected passenger has left. Numerous studies are being conducted, but some of the early reports suggest that the virus can persist in the air for up to three hours and for two to three days on stainless steel and plastic surfaces. Another study on a related coronavirus that causes SARS found that the virus can survive on "inanimate surfaces like metal, glass or plastic for up to nine days."
Have the Right Tools
While there isn't yet a vaccine for COVID-19 in people, the good news is that it is possible to disinfect and kill the virus on external surfaces. There are several ways to prepare your vehicle to be especially clean and safe during the outbreak. Experts recommend using disposable gloves while cleaning or dedicating reusable gloves for COVID-19 disinfection purposes only.
Most common household disinfectants will work. Here is an approved list of effective cleaners, but be sure to read the labels to make sure the cleaner is safe to use on the different surfaces in your vehicle. We recommend keeping a tube of disinfectant wipes in the vehicle as an easy and effective preventive measure.
The ministry of health has recommendations for homemade bleach and alcohol solutions given that many brand-name disinfectants have been in short supply.
Focus on Common Vehicle Touch points
You'll want to clean the places you come into contact with the most. Besides the obvious places such as a door handle, key fob or steering wheel, the most important part of the interior to keep clean is the dashboard. That's the worst site in terms of total number of bacteria, Air is constantly being sucked over and circulated inside the car."
Other places to clean include the inside door buttons, seat belts, gear shifters and touchscreens. How often should you do this? While your individual circumstances with your vehicle will vary, I recommend cleaning and disinfecting touched surfaces daily.
The outside of the car is less susceptible to carrying the virus, that’s because the sun and outside weather can shorten its life span. However, it is still a good idea to clean door handles and other exterior touch points. Gas pump handles and keypads at gas stations are also locations to be wary of.
There's a chance that some of the harsher disinfectants can dry out the leather in your vehicle. In this case, you might want to use a milder solution of soap and water and occasionally combine it with a leather conditioner. Soap won't kill the germs, but it lowers their numbers and reduces the risk of spreading infection.
Children and the Elderly in Vehicles
People over the age of 60 and those with underlying conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and cancer have the highest risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19, according to the WHO.
Early studies from the WHO have shown that the disease is rare and mild in children. But kids are often unsuspecting carriers of infection, due to their lack of awareness of personal hygiene. They are more likely to spread it to parents and relatives than become sick themselves.
Car Rentals, Ride-Sharing and Taxis
Drivers and passengers both should carry hand sanitizer for frequent use. Portable disinfectant wipes help as well. In a situation where riders are consistently getting in and out of shared vehicles, that’s about the best you can do,
Public Transportation
To prevent the spread of the disease, riders of public transportation such as mutate, buses and trains should wash their hands and practice social distancing,
Wipe down areas that you will immediately come into contact with, such as rails, grab handles and seats. Some people ignore this procedure, but it may be helpful for public transit as well. If this is too much trouble, just be sure to keep your hands away from your face, use hand sanitizer, and wash your hands frequently. Good hygiene remains the best defense against COVID-19,stay safe!
