5. Playgrounds
We all know that the vast majority of kids aren’t following the twenty-second hand-washing rule during the pandemic, so think about how many tiny organisms are lurking on their hands…
While bacterial and viral infections like COVID-19 differ, a 2018 HomeAdvisor.com study found that areas like rock walls, baby swings, and seesaws each have nine million colony-forming units (CFUs) of bacteria per square inch. That’s about 52,000 times more bacteria than your toilet seat at home. Similarly, slides have an average of six million CFUs per square inch.
“Kids racing down the slide at an outdoor playground may actually encounter around 60,000 times more bacteria than they would at the top of the slide at the local fast food joint or other indoor play area,” the study notes. Crazy, right?
6. Arcades
A couple years ago, RealSimple conducted a study with NSF International Swab Testing, examining common surfaces we all come into contact with often. They found that a video game controller in an arcade contained 551 CFUs per square inch. It’s about 69 times the amount of bacteria found on your doctor’s pen.
“Any public play area for kids, with toys or a ball pit, is prone to accumulating germs and infections,” pediatrician Christopher Weiss, DO, previously told USA Today. “Any public spot that lots of hands commonly grab … are likely to be dirty as well.” And you can only imagine how many hands have touched that button or joy stick!
3 thoughts on “7 Common Places You Should Definitely Avoid Even If They’re Open”
I have talked to Hundreds of people who also are very confused about the Hot-Spots of catching Covid-19. I think by statistics of people catching it and people dying from it they don’t warrant shut downs of our entire societies establishments. Yes, this is a serious pandemic but wouldn’t it be more wise to educate the elderly who are at the highest risk and their families of proper precautions. I myself am a senior and choose not to go out in public as a precautionary measure not to catch the disease at this time. If and when I do go out in Public, I wear a mask and stay in open areas. But when I read about 7 ways most common to transmitting the virus…then how is it we don’t have millions more people catching this virus. I understand that some people are asymptomatic and some just get slightly ill. Again… do we shut down the entire country…Or do we educate them and our seniors and people with compromised immune systems. Still is very frustrating for many Americans trying to understand this disease from the information we receive from our media outlets
I was going to ask about bowling alleys and see it is #3 on the list. Our league is due to begin its season on 10-14. I was hesitating to begin as I was told “not necessary to wear masks” and now I really won’t bowl. Thank you for listing these places. Stay safe and Be Smart.
I’ve been a lap swimmer for over 30 years & have missed it terribly since March. One of the local pools (YWCO) has opened their indoor pool, which has something like 8 lanes which get divided in. half with one swimmer on each side of the lane, The showers & locker room are off-limits; you get out of the pool & leave (in you wet bathing suit) directly to th parking lot.
Does that sound high-risk to you? I’m a 66 year old woman in otherwise very good health. The lanes will be limited to two swimmers (one on each side of the lane) with no apparent possibility to come into contact with others. What do you think? I miss swimming like I’m missing an arm…I haven’t been swimming since February & I used to swim 3 or 4 times/week.