"We learned that aerosolized, or suspended in-air virus, can stay persistent for three hours,” she said. ”And when we’re looking at inactive objects, such as stainless steel, and plastic, the virus can stay and live outside the body for two to three days, if not, longer.”
The study also found the COVID-19 respiratory virus was able to stay on copper for up to four hours, and cardboard for up to 24 hours.
Findings suggest that it’s possible for individuals to acquire the virus through the air or after touching contaminated objects, even if they never touched a person who was infected.
“People may not be aware that even if they don’t shake hands with somebody, they may touch a surface that someone infected with the virus may have touched hours or days before,” said Dr. Desai. ”Doing this can spread the infection, not only to themselves, but everyone they come in contact with.” 26 March, 2020 by 13abc On Your Side