Footwear, experts say, can also be considered a breeding ground for the novel coronavirus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
So, it is best to keep shoes, slip on, and flip-flops or slippers clean.
The Huffington Post in the UK reported the warning of infectious disease specialist Mary E. Schmidt who said that the coronavirus could survive on rubber, leather and PVC-based soles for five days or more.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the virus survives on plastic up to two or three days so this includes shoes with plastic components.
“The sole of the shoe is the breeding ground of more bacteria and fungi and viruses than the upper part of a shoe,” said emergency physician Cwanza Pinckney.
The experts suggest that shoes should be left inside the garage or on doorsteps.
Parents should also be check on how children handle their shoes.
Shoes should be hidden from small children.
Designate indoor shoes that should be used exclusively inside houses.
Public health specialist Carol Winner, on the other hand, underscored the importance of personal hygiene and constant and proper handwashing.
“Pragmatically, they are on the body part furthest from our face, and we do know that the greatest risk of transmission is person to person, not shoe to person,” she said.
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