As the pandemic tapers down, Americans are starting to get back to their daily normal lives which means many will want to start traveling too! Even though Covid exposure seems to be very low on planes, thanks to the sanitization procedures they have in place, the rest of the airport is not getting the same amount of attention.
There are certain places in the airport that are filled with more germs than others. Pandemic or not, you should start being more aware of these areas and take precaution.
Chairs are great to have when you are waiting for your plane to arrive at your gate but the armrests are a "hot spot" for germs. A study from 2018, says that the armrests were one of the most germ ridden areas at the airport. You can wipe them down before sitting or you can always choose to stand. Kadi Banjoko, an infection preventionist in the clinical epidemiology department at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, says "Don't sit on floors! They are dirty."
Another item you should be cautious about touching are handrails. You can always wash or sanitize your hands after touching these high risk areas. Same with touch screens and the bins we put our shoes in at security. These items are touched a lot and rarely wiped down. University of Nottingham and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, published a study that says security bins "appeared to pose the highest potential risk" for airport viruses.
In 2015, Travel Math, sent a microbiologist to five airports to take samples from different areas to see what the levels of bacteria were like on those surfaces. Water fountains came back with the highest bacteria concentration. Of course, the bathroom surfaces were filled with germs. Even though they get cleaned often they are being used daily by a multitude of people.
The more densely populated areas are also a place to avoid. The more people there are around the more chance you have to being exposed to germs and bacteria. "The best defense is to avoid close contact with people, particularly if they exhibit illness symptoms," says Kelly Reynolds, a professor and chair of the Community, Environment & Policy Department at the University of Arizona.
Keep hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes with you while traveling so that you can be protected against these germ filled areas.
Read the full article at HuffPost.com