Does the virus live on plastic shopping bags if someone does my shopping for me?
Anika H. Ahmed, MD July 2020
Plastic bags are still commonly used for groceries. These are made from petrochemicals that do not biodegrade, can prove deadly to wildlife and are meant to be recycled. The Coronavirus can survive on plastic bags for 72 hours.
It is an established fact that the Coronavirus causing COVID-19 can live on various surfaces for some time. According to a study published in New England Journal of Medicine, the Coronavirus can survive for 72 hours on stainless steel and plastic, while on cardboard it can survive for 12 hours. On more porous surfaces like fabric and paper it can survive for only a few hours. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone tried to stock up on dry rations, cleaners and sanitizers but could only stock up for a couple of weeks on perishable items, like fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products etc. During self-quarantine and lockdown there is still a need for grocery shopping sooner or later. Grocery shopping draws attention to plastic shopping bags. It has been scientifically proven that the Coronavirus can survive on plastic shopping bags for 72 hours but it has also been seen that at around 72 hours the viability of the virus is around .1% meaning that there is a very small chance of getting sick from touching the plastic bag after 72 hours. Interestingly some surfaces like copper are less hospitable and the virus can only survive about 4 hours on those.
Many states had banned the use of plastic bags and customers were expected to either use brown bags (at times pay for it) or bring their own fabric or plastic reusable bags. This was mainly to control environmental pollution caused by the disposable plastic bags. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists thought that the chances of bringing in coronavirus on reusable shopping bags from outside the store were more than from new disposable plastic bags. This led to temporarily suspending the ban on plastic bags and now customers are encouraged to use disposable plastic bags.
It is useful to know that plastic bags pose danger of infection only if they have been contaminated through droplet infection from a COVID-19 positive person. Anytime the symptomatic or asymptomatic Coronavirus-positive person coughs or sneezes on a surface such as plastic bags, there is a risk of getting sick if hands are not washed properly after touching the contaminated surface. The key to staying healthy is being aware of the many surfaces that one may have touched and maintaining cleanliness of hands as well as surfaces. The good news is that the Coronavirus clinging to hands and surfaces can be washed away easily the old-fashioned way of using soap and water or spraying and wiping down with standard disinfectants. All packages, bags, plastic containers and bags can be either sprayed or wiped down with disinfectants
Primary transmission of Coronavirus is through droplet infection. Touching any object including plastic grocery bags that are contaminated followed by touching one’s face can be a secondary path of transmission of the Coronavirus. The COVID-19 pandemic can be successfully controlled by practicing frequent hand washing, minimal touching of surfaces, wiping down of surfaces with disinfectants, avoiding touching the face, isolating sick people, and maintaining social distancing.
Helpful information! Hopefully masking by grocery workers will minimize contamination of bags.
Yes, wearing the right mask at the right place, in a proper way can be the key factor in keeping the Coronavirus in check. My only worry is that we do not lift the Covid-19 restrictions prematurely, leading to another wave.