Didn’t feel safe in the garage.

beverley10☺️
They probably have!

From what I've read recently, it seems that airborne transmission is probably the most common way people catch it. The virus can build up in enclosed spaces, so entering an indoor area without good ventilation is probably more dangerous than touching anything there.

Jennifer Eccles
Agree.
Saying that I am beginni'ng to beleive my two Parakeets have more of the 'grey matter when it comes to what is the 'obvious.'

Since the pandemic began I have been wearing disposable gloves when out, that way there is little or no chance of picking up the virus by touch.

I put my gloves on when I get out of the car and on my return I strip them off, so they turn inside out before I touch the car handles.

MaizieD I apologise, it really wasn't my intention to cause alarm.
It is such a fine line to tread.
You don't need to tell me about people 'who are very worried', believe me

if I pick up the paper with disposable gloves on how do I get back into our other car which dh who is vulnerable is driving?

You put the paper in your pocket, take off the gloves and sanitise your hands before opening the car door.

I keep some sheets of kitchen roll in my jacket pocket which I use for opening doors and then drop them in the nearest bin or the floor of the car if there's no handy bin. I clear the car out once a week.

I'm not sure that I believe the information about fomites.

It doesn't say that it can't possibly happen, just that it would be very difficult

This from the Washington Post:

The coronavirus’s genetic material has been found on all kinds of surfaces in hospitals and in the air, but, interestingly, it has only been successfully cultured from the air. No data studies that we are aware of have cultured the virus from surfaces .

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/11/covid-19-airborne-transmission-cleaning-surfaces/

If a virus can't be cultured from a surface sample then it must be very weak indeed and probably not capable of reproducing.

I'm not recommending a casual attitude to the possibility; just trying to reassure people who are very worried, probably unnecessarily so.

Your DH could equally have caught covid from lingering aerosols, FannyC. Aerosols linger a long time in some circumstances and are very infective. You have only a suspicion, not proof. I don't think it's altogether fair to worry people who are already worried.

Sodium hypochlorite is recommended by the WHO. Household bleach. Safest when in the form of baby sterilising fluid (Milton or 'own brands') Dilution 45mls to 500mls. I'm very dubious about proprietary disinfectants.

The more you stay huddled at home the more nervous you will feel when you do venture out.

My experience everywhere I’ve been is that establishments are doing their utmost to keep their premises as safe as possible.

The garage’s system sounded perfectly fine to me. They can’t put instructions everywhere can they? We don’t need to be told by now to not enter with covid symptoms or to use the hand sanitisers provided!

It is nerve racking going out for first time. Our garage - Mazda was ok but similar to yours. Car was sanitised at end and sealed.

Hetty58 if I pick up the paper with disposable gloves on how do I get back into our other car which dh who is vulnerable is driving? When football games were allowed team sheets etc were all electronic by email or mobile as advice was NOT to use paper. As it is garage have sent bank details by email so all set up ready to go.

I had to walk through the almost empty car showroom to get to the service desk. All indoors. Not open to the outside air.

As the covid officer for football the onus is on the football ground as well as players and spectators. So yes garage IS responsible as well as the user.

Have dropped my car off for repair since March just dropped the keys into the garage then paid by card when I picked it up
Opened the windows when I got back in it a bit of sanitizer on my hands jib done

FannyCornforth, Dettol (although recommended by Which) is, frankly, misleading in it's claims to kill 'coronaviruses'.

It's been tested and is effective against - the common cold (itself a type of coronavirus). Therefore, it may, or may not work!

We are more certain that a bleach solution or strong detergent should inactivate the virus. The easiest thing to do, though, is not to use the car for a while.

25Avalon, if you had disposable gloves in your pocket, why didn't you use one to take the paper?

Surely, mask wearing, glove wearing - and sanitiser use - is the personal responsibility of the individual visitor, not the garage.

Service areas are open to the outside air, aren't they? They must be safer than visiting an enclosed supermarket.

Dettol All in One Spray claims to kill viruses
Supermarkets sell it. £3.99 ish.

Re: Virusend. Lakeland sell it but we’re out of stock when I ordered. I got it direct. Just google it.

When we last went to the garage, several months ago, we couldn't get inside.

The vehicle door was closed off; the pedestrian door had a drop-down desk across it and we stood outside while the owner stood well back inside. We put the keys on the table for him to pick up.

When we collected the car he sanitised the keys before returning them via the table. The car had been wiped, too, I think. I don't remember about how we paid because DH did that!

I felt very safe, though.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Would some of you find this news item from October reassuring?

Basically it says that the risk of infection from surfaces (fomite infection) is very low.

^Emanuel Goldman, a microbiologist from the US, recently highlighted how most of the evidence supporting fomite transmission (the scientific phrase for catching the virus from an inanimate surface) of coronavirus was not applicable to real-world situations.

In an article published in the Lancet he said: "In my opinion, the chance of transmission through inanimate surfaces is very small, and only in instances where an infected person coughs or sneezes on the surface, and someone else touches that surface soon after the cough or sneeze."

He highlighted studies that used high concentrations of the virus in lab settings showed it was still present for up to six days, but that this couldn't be replicated in real life situations where surface amounts of the virus would be "several orders of magnitude smaller".

"In a study in which the authors tried to mimic actual conditions in which a surface might be contaminated by a patient, no viable SARS-CoV was detected on surfaces," he said

He added: "I do not disagree with erring on the side of caution, but this can go to extremes not justified by the data.

"Although periodically disinfecting surfaces and use of gloves are reasonable precautions especially in hospitals, I believe that fomites that have not been in contact with an infected carrier for many hours do not pose a measurable risk of transmission in non-hospital settings."

Mr Goldman pointed out in his research the chance of fomite infection was at its highest immediately after the virus has spread onto the surface.

www.itv.com/news/2020-10-06/chance-of-catching-covid-19-from-surfaces-less-than-previously-thought-scientists-claim

I know it's scary venturing out for the first time, but if you wash or sanitise your hands frequently, avoid touching any part of your face with 'dirty' hands, wear a correctly fitted mask and keep your distance you should be fine.

(I have to admit that I'd be more worried than I am if I lived in an area with a very high infection rate)

Etheltbags it’s called Virus End and was developed in conjunction with the British Army. You can either buy direct or Amazon may have it.

Can anyone tell me what the virus free spray is and where I can get some as mentioned in the OP. Thanks

I just wear a mask and sanitise hands after any necessary encounters, including the rare event of fuelling the car, thorough hand washing when I get home.

Some places are very much on the ball and others clearly are not. I am glad I'm not the only one wearing disposable gloves! The last time I filled up with petrol, the cashier thanked me for wearing them and said despite notices at the pumps to this effect, hardly anyone bothered.

I think many of us will be paranoid by the time we start leaving our homes!

I never take my car for it’s service, I use a garage which collects the car from me. In the summer when it was brought back after its MOT, I could smell the disinfectant in the car but as in rarely go out, I did not use it for about a week anyway so was not worried about Covid.

All my friends talk about wanting to hug people again when they finally get to meet them, I told a group yesterday that I will not be wanting a hug thank you! I’m far too cautious for such close contact!

Use your elbow or bottom to open doors?
It doesn’t sound bad to me tbh Avalon and I have used the
Card machine in a few places, they do sanitise or use a thin plastic type sheet on the keypad which they then take off.
True, they should ask all customers if they have Covid symptoms before they go in, but customers will all say no, for obvious reasons.

But Bluesky we are now back in lockdown. As a COVID officer for football I made sure we followed the regulations. Surely the main dealer should do the same especially with this new rapidly spreading variant.