Sunlight At Beaches “Does Not Make It Safe To Go Out To The Beach” – Experts Tell LA Times
Written by 991KBU on May 1, 2020
Does sunlight at a beach kill coronavirus?
No … say scientists contacted by the Los Angeles Times.
The newspaper went to a series of scientific experts … and the consensus is that
there’s little evidence that hot, sunny days actually make beaches safer.
Although sunlight can help kill coronaviruses on surfaces, it doesn’t work fast enough to help beachgoers.
That’s according to Andrea Armani, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science at USC.
She tells the L A Times that “It doesn’t make it safe to go out to the beach because the time it takes for the sun to kill the virus is exceptionally long.”
Nor will sunshine prevent the virus from spreading from person to person through droplets of saliva or mucus in the air.
The UV-A and UV-B light experienced outdoors is of a lower frequency than the UV-C light used in medical offices to sterilize things.
The chair of the epidemiology department at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health tells the LA Times there is “no good data” to support the idea that the UV in sunlight would make any difference in the coronavirus infection rate.
More important … she says … is how many people show up to the beach and whether they can practice proper physical distancing.
And she says photos of people flocking to Orange County beaches during last weekend’s heat wave shows that “People don’t stay apart enough,” she said, “and so that is also an argument to be a little concerned.”
There are no handwashing statins at beaches …. and almost no one was wearing masks.
