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Keep used gloves, masks in paper bag for 72 hrs before dumping: PPCB
The virus survives on gloves and masks for three days, so residents should also cut them in pieces before dumping, so that these are not reused by someone, say PPCB officials
Suspecting the spread of coronavirus through used masks and gloves, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has urged residents to keep these in a paper bag for at least 72 hours (three days) before discarding.
The virus survives on gloves and masks for three days, they should be kept in paper bag for 72 hours. Besides, residents should also cut these in pieces before dumping, so that used ones are not reused by someone, said PPCB officials.
As per officials, the board had also issued a public notice a few days ago to sensitise the masses about the correct usage and discarding of masks and gloves.
Citing that residents have been dumping used masks and gloves as domestic waste, board officials said that this puts sanitation staff and workers involved in door-to-door lifting of garbage at risk of infection.
The officials said these have to be dumped with the domestic waste but, separately, and residents should apprise the garbage collectors about the same.
They said the gloves and masks, being collected from isolation centres and quarantine facilities, have to be treated as biomedical waste, but those collected from houses are domestic waste only.
Member secretary, PPCB, Krunesh Garg, said, “It is a precautionary step to avoid spread of the virus through masks and gloves, which are used by residents at large.”
Earlier, the municipal corporation (MC) had also issued directions to its staff to bury gloves and masks collected from houses in soil at the dump site.
