The
pandemic-era trend of publicly exhibiting all sanitation efforts has
taken both the private and public sector by storm, but some medical
experts express concern that these surface-cleaning endeavors may not be
the most effective means of combatting the spread of the respiratory
virus.
Hotels in California proudly display their $100,000 UV disinfecting robots. United Airlines similarly announced it was using high-tech antimicrobial-spraying robots
on some aircrafts to ensure the "deepest cleanings." United noted that
it was a complementary technology used in combination with masks and
other measures.
The New York City subway system, which operates
around the clock, announced nighttime closures for the first time in its
history in order to disinfect train cars, a move that comes with an
estimated additional price tag of $500 million in 2020 alone. That price tag includes a small portion for protective gear and temperatures checks for employees.
The
often-overlooked sanitizing industry has boomed. Stock for Clorox
reached a new all-time high last month, and has spiked some 35% in 2020.
And a slew of private firms and startups touting disinfecting wands and
other gadgets have also reported skyrocketing spikes in interest.
he public-facing displays of disinfecting efforts by companies have been dubbed "hygiene theater" in a recent The Atlantic article,
which equated the showy presentations to the post-9/11 "security
theater" phenomena, an endeavor that was slammed for focusing more on
quelling people’s worries rather than actions that actually emphasized
safety.
Is there a 'danger' in so-called hygiene theater?
Dr.
Emanuel Goldman, a microbiology professor at Rutgers University and
co-editor of the Practical Handbook of Microbiology, warned in a
commentary published in the medical journal Lancet in July that the risk
of catching COVID-19 from a surface has been "exaggerated" and became
one of the major voices raising concerns over misdirecting resources to
so-called "hygiene theater."
