When Covid-19 began to spread massively, people tried to get disinfectants and clean as much as possible the most vulnerable and most at risk areas to be infected with the coronavirus. Now, apparently, it all may not have been of any great importance.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published a scientific review that says that on average a person's risk of becoming infected with Covid from an area is 1 in 10,000, or 0.01%. The summary states that it is "possible" for people to become infected with Covid-19 by touching an infected area and then touching their nose, mouth or eyes.
Immediately after that, the term "theater of hygiene" began to spread more. This term is used to describe the practice of taking hygienic measures to create a sense of security that we have reduced the risks of becoming infected. The term refers to all buildings, grocery stores, businesses, and even people at home who have done intensive cleaning since the beginning of the pandemic, although there have been few real benefits.
The term first became known in a July 2020 article published in the Atlantic. "What if this is just a big waste of time?" was written in the article.
"It's a waste of time," Richard Watkins, an infectious disease specialist and professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University, told Health. "People need to focus their efforts on more productive endeavors."
Infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, senior researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Safety, agrees. "It's stupid," he told Health. "People have been doing this from the beginning and it's just theater."
This does not mean that you should not clean regularly, however. "Obviously, if someone sneezes on a table and has Covid, you want to clean it," says Dr. Adalja.
What is the harm of "hygiene theater"?
Dr. Adalja says that cleaning is not necessarily harmful, but worries about the message this action sends to people. "It gives people the wrong impression of what is and is not dangerous," he says. In addition, it creates a "false sense of security" because people do not realize that this is not the main way they can become infected.
"If you were too busy with constant cleaning during the pandemic, I advise you to calm down a bit. "Do not stress yourself too much," he added.
Sources: Health, Atlantic, CDC
