The Trump administration has unveiled cleaning and disinfecting guidelines as part of the White House’s efforts to reopen the country.
The guidelines come just days after President Trump was slammed for offhand remarks about injecting disinfectants during a coronavirus task force briefing. The White House has since said those remarks were taken “out of context” by media coverage, and Trump suggested he was being “sarcastic.”
The new guidance, released Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after weeks of work, calls on people to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches, countertops, phones, toilets, and sinks at least daily.
Other areas, though, don’t need to be disinfected before they reopen. For example, businesses, schools, and other public spaces that haven’t been occupied for more than seven days only need to undergo routine cleaning because the coronavirus hasn’t been found to survive on surfaces longer than a week, according to the guidance shared with the Washington Examiner.
The EPA and the CDC also say outdoor spaces generally only need to be cleaned. Using disinfectants on sidewalks and in parks isn’t an “efficient use” of supplies and hasn’t been proven to reduce the risk of the virus spreading, the agencies say.
“These guidelines will provide all Americans with information they need to help the country reopen as safely as possible,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement.
The EPA oversees the approval of disinfectants for use against the coronavirus. Since the start of the outbreak, the EPA has sped up its approval process, getting it down to roughly two weeks, according to the agency. The EPA now has more than 350 products on its approved list.
In the absence of approved disinfectants, the agencies say people can use alternatives, such as a one-third cup of bleach added to a gallon of water. The agencies also say to use appropriate protective equipment, such as gloves, when dealing with the chemicals in disinfectants.
