With motor vehicles getting back on the roads in large numbers as a result of the relaxed lockdown restrictions, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) administration has urged automobile owners to strictly follow precautionary measures to contain the spread of COVID 19.
In a short video, GCC has asked vehicle owners to follow tips including cleaning of oft-touched surfaces such as the steering wheel, knobs, switches, screens and buttons with disinfectant, using the right detergent and cold water to wash vehicles, wiping off the water with dry cloths and washing the vehicle at least once in a week.
According to microbiologists, it is hard to predict the transmission of the coronavirus no matter how advanced or expensive a vehicle is. Following necessary precautions by cleaning, sanitising, and disinfecting your car to ensure all-round safety is extremely important.
In addition to this, be sure to disinfect inside the vehicle. Hard surfaces like plastic buttons and knobs can be wiped down with a bleach-free disinfectant wipe.
Better to use a milder solution of soap and water and occasionally combine it with a leather conditioner as there is a chance that some of the harsher disinfectants can dry out the leather, they say.
“Besides the obvious places such as door handles, key fob or steering wheel, the most important part of the interior to keep clean is the the dashboard.
It is a highly risky spot in terms of virus transmission as the air is constantly being sucked over and circulated inside the car.The outside of the car, meanwhile, is less susceptible to carrying the virus due to the sun and outside weather can shorten its lifespan. However, it is important to clean door handles and other exterior touch points’.
Studies carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) have found that the COVID-19 can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, which are spread when an infected person coughs or exhales.
These droplets can land on objects and surfaces around the person. If someone nearby touches these objects or surfaces then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth, the person will likely be infected.
As per the various studies, the interiors of vehicles especially cars contain many different kinds of surfaces including leather and metal to rubber and plastic.
The virus can spread while sharing airspace with an infected person, the surfaces the person touched, and even the airspace after an infected passenger has left as the virus can persist in the air for up to three hours and for two to three days on stainless steel and plastic surfaces. The virus can also survive on metal and glass surfaces for up to nine days’, the studies say
