'Disinfected stores are safe to visit
By Bahk Eun-jiPeople should not be concerned about going to retail stores and other facilities previously visited by coronavirus patients because they pose no infection risks after undergoing thorough disinfection, according to the health authorities and medical experts Monday.Customers read a notification of the temporary closure of Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong, Seoul, Sunday, after it was discovered a patient diagnosed with the new coronavirus had recently shopped there. /Yonhap“From a medical point of view, we believe that once the virus exits the human body, it only survives three or four hours, or no longer than 48 hours,” said Sohn Jang-wook, professor of Korea University Anam Hospital's infectious disease division. In particular, virus propagation depends largely on whether or not it can exist outdoors or indoors, Sohn said. “This means that although the duration of virus survival clearly depends on the temperature, humidity and the environment, nearly 99 percent of viruses are killed in the space where disinfection work is done,” said Choi Jae-
