Stay-at-home orders not bad for your health
As cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. surpass 1 million, states across the country are starting to open up and ease stay-at-home orders. Experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have warned against lifting social distancing guidelines prematurely, but economic pressure has pushed some states and businesses to reopen. People have used social media to vent as they grow restless. One Facebook post encouraged people to “Throw the mask away. Get out of your homes. Go wherever you can to breathe in fresh air. Get yourself some sunlight.” The post also said coronavirus thrives indoors and criticized governors for forcing people to stay in indoor environments when sunlight kills the coronavirus.
Why were guidelines implemented?
“Scientists have known that SARS-CoV thrives in indoor environments, since 2010 (probably earlier),” writes the author of the Facebook post. “So what are our governors doing? Trying to force everyone to stay in their homes.” The post cites a 2010 article about findings from the American Society for Microbiology. A study found the SARS coronavirus, or CoV, may survive on surfaces with temperatures and humidity levels that are similar to those found indoors. However, the SARS-CoV virus is not the same as COVID-19. The SARS-CoV virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 are both coronaviruses, but there are differences between the two, including symptom variation and transmission and severity of the viruses. The new coronavirus appears to spread more easily than SARS and is mainly transmitted between people through respiratory droplets, not through contact with surfaces. Because the virus’s most common transmission is human-to-human, the distancing guidelines have been implemented to combat the spread.
Do sunlight and humidity kill the virus?
USA TODAY previously has fact-checked claims about coronavirus and sunlight. This particular Facebook post references a quote from a Newsweek article that talks about a study analyzing solar light’s potential to kill the novel coronavirus. William Bryan, the science and technology adviser to the secretary of Homeland Security, discussed the promising findings of the study, which has not been made public and is waiting for external evaluation, at an April 23 news briefing. Bryan said the study’s potentially positive findings are not an excuse to ignore existing guidelines. “It would be irresponsible for us to say that we feel that the summer is just going to totally kill the virus,” he said. Additionally, neither the World Health Organization or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists sunlight or UV light as a preventative measure to combat the coronavirus.
Our rating: False
We rate the claims in the Facebook post FALSE, based on our research. The post uses an academic study to support its claims, but the study was about SARS-CoV, which is a different coronavirus and cannot accurately be compared to COVID-19. The first claim that governors are trying to force people to stay indoors where it is less safe is based on information from the unrelated study and cites contaminated surfaces and indoor conditions as a method of coronavirus transmission. Human transmission is the most common way the coronavirus spreads, which is why stay-at-home orders have been implemented. The second claim that people are unable to go outdoors because of the closures also is false. While some parks, playgrounds and other outdoor facilities have been closed, there is no blanket order prohibiting people from going outdoors. People are still encouraged to exercise, both indoors and outdoors, while practicing social distancing under stay-athome orders. The third claim that people should spend time outside because sunlight kills the coronavirus is based on a study’s findings that are awaiting evaluation. Bryan, the homeland security adviser who talked about the study, said that while the findings are positive, it would be foolish to disregard stay-athome guidelines.