Officials outline correct use of disinfectants
A sanitation staff member disinfects the iconic bronze bull on the Bund.
Citizens are being asked to avoid putting disinfectant into sewers, which will not prevent COVID-19 infection but will corrode pipelines and pollute the environment.
There is an extremely low possibility that the virus could be transmitted through sewers as long as there is no air link with neighbors, said Wang Tong, deputy director of the Shanghai Patriotic Health Campaign Committee Office.
It is one of the six improper ways of disinfection cited by the office on Saturday.
Other improper ways include spraying disinfectants directly on people, disinfecting outdoor air, conducting mass disinfection of greenery, streets or walls, as well as using chemical disinfectants in indoor areas when people are inside.
Disinfection in these ways will not kill the virus but instead will damage health and environment, according to Wang.
Cleaning, exposure to sunlight and ventilation remain the major ways of household disinfection. Tableware can be boiled, while clothes and other fabrics can be soaked for disinfection.
A tanker washes a road.
Wang noted that group buying items or online orders must be carefully disinfected.
Citizens are asked to avoid contact with volunteers or delivery staff when receiving group buying products or online orders.
They must wear a mask and glove when accepting the parcels. They are asked to disinfect the surface of the box with alcohol wipes or mist spray and open after putting them aside for about half an hour. They should avoid taking the paper boxes or wrappings home.
Shanghai has listed cleaning and disinfection as one of the nine actions to achieve zero community transmission of COVID-19 as soon as possible.
The disinfection campaign mainly focuses on the accommodation of the positive cases after they are transferred, the public areas of the residential building they live, the companies where any cross-infection happened, the items of discharged COVID-19 patients as well as the distribution and reception places for online orders of courier firms and at local communities.
Shanghai launched two rounds of road washing campaigns on April 17 and 19 to remove 744 tons of garbage. Follow-up steps will be taken to keep the local streets clean, said Tang Jiafu, deputy director of the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau.
A sanitation staff member disinfects a local street.
