It is going to take a hopefully short tweet thread to explain my thoughts on this:  (1/8)
I think all of these are reasonable risk reduction measures to take. They were especially reasonable when we didn't really know anything at all about transmission of COVID-19. (2/8)
Having spent the past few months thinking about this and reading the rapidly expanding literature my position has changed over time. (3/8)
I can find only two documented reports in the scientific literature where contamination was thought to be possibly associated with a surface. If you have more please share. (4/8)
One was a contaminated seat in a church and the other was possibly linked to an elevator or a bathroom in a shopping mall. References available upon request. (5/8)
The overwhelmingly important risk communication message that I have been using has two components: (1) stay away from people, and if you can't (2) wear a mask and expect others to do the same. (6/8)
Of course washing your hands and using hand sanitizer are reasonable risk reduction measures, especially after you've been out in the world and touching things that other people may have touched. (7/8)
But if you only focus on cross-contamination via surfaces and you ignore the fact that apparently 99% or more of cases come from breathing in droplets breathed out other people, you're not managing the risk sensibly. (8/8)
