Coronavirus: Centre strongly advises against spraying of disinfectants on people

As sanitisation tunnels came up at several places as a response to combat COVID-19, the Health Ministry has strongly advised against spraying of chemical disinfectants on individuals or groups as it could cause physical and mental harm.

The advisory said methods such as spraying of disinfectants could lead to a false sense of safety and actually hamper public observance to hand washing and social distancing measures.

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The advisory was necessitated as a lot of local bodies and district authorities set up sanitisation tunnels to spray sodium hypochlorite on individuals to disinfect them.

The advisory pointed out that solutions such as sodium hypochlorite were to be used on inanimate objects and for cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched areas/surfaces by those who are suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19.

“Even if a person is potentially exposed with the COVID-19 virus, spraying the external part of the body does not kill the virus that has entered your body. Also there is no scientific evidence to suggest that they are effective even in disinfecting the outer clothing/body in an effective manner,” the advisory said

It added that spraying of chlorine on individuals can lead to irritation of eyes and skin and potentially gastrointestinal effects such as nausea and vomiting. Inhalation of sodium hypochlorite can lead to irritation of mucous membranes to the nose, throat, respiratory tract and may also cause bronchospasm.

Local authorities from Jammu and Kashmir to Tamil Nadu had set up disinfectant tunnels at places frequented by people in huge numbers such as vegetable markets, and government offices.