<commit_before><!--- WARNING: DO NOT EDIT! Auto-generated with wikize_refs.py from Covid19WorkstationCleanliness.md --->
# Pre-Reference Version: Cleaning Your Work Surfaces: One Way to Help Flatten the Curve

**Hero Image:**

- <img src='https://github.com/betterscientificsoftware/images/raw/master/Blog_Covid19_1176_465.gif'/>

<!--
Image licensed under...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Covid-19-curves-graphic-social-v3.gif
-->

#### Contributed by [<NAME>](https://github.com/markcmiller86)
#### Publication date: March 16, 2020

**Disclaimer:** *This article distills information from various sources that are current as of 03/16/2020 but is not a substitute for professional advice from health authorities or your local institution. The article is for informational purposes only and should not be seen as professional advice.*

### The importance of keeping work surfaces clean
Keeping our work areas clean is always a good practice but even more so now to
help stem the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (Note: *SARS-CoV-2* is the name of the virus
whereas *COVID-19* is the name of the disease it causes).<sup>[2],[9]</sup> There
are some simple things each of us can do that, if we all are diligent, can have
a big impact on how the next several months play out for everyone.<sup>[30]</sup>

Current guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<sup>[1]</sup> states:

> It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19<sup>[9]</sup> by touching a surface or
object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or
possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the *main* way the virus spreads.

While surface contact may not be the *main way the virus spreads*, multiple
sources<sup>[3],[4],[5]</sup> suggest various *strains* of Coronaviruses<sup>[8]</sup> can
remain active in the air for hours or on different *surfaces* for days.
A pre-publication study specifically of SARS-CoV-2<sup>[4]</sup>
concludes it remains viable on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on plastic or stainless steel
for up to 72 hours.

What surfaces do we need to consider cleaning? What cleaning solutions work?
How often should we be cleaning?

### What surfaces to clean? 

You should routinely clean, with a disinfecting solution of some
kind (see below), any surface and object that you touch in your work, even if infrequently.
Obviously, this includes your computer keyboard, mouse, and monitor, as well as the desk area
immediately around these. However, it is easy to forget about the other things<commit_msg>Revise disclaimer text as personal statement<commit_after><!--- WARNING: DO NOT EDIT! Auto-generated with wikize_refs.py from Covid19WorkstationCleanliness.md --->
# Pre-Reference Version: Cleaning Your Work Surfaces: One Way to Help Flatten the Curve

**Hero Image:**

- <img src='https://github.com/betterscientificsoftware/images/raw/master/Blog_Covid19_1176_465.gif'/>

<!--
Image licensed under...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Covid-19-curves-graphic-social-v3.gif
-->

#### Contributed by [<NAME>](https://github.com/markcmiller86)
#### Publication date: March 16, 2020

**Disclaimer:** *This article distills information from various sources that are current as of 03/16/2020 but is not a substitute for professional advice from health authorities or your local institution. The article is for informational purposes only and should not be seen as professional advice.  This content is the personal expression of the author and not necessarily endorsed by the author's employer.*

### The importance of keeping work surfaces clean
Keeping our work areas clean is always a good practice but even more so now to
help stem the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (Note: *SARS-CoV-2* is the name of the virus
whereas *COVID-19* is the name of the disease it causes).<sup>[2],[9]</sup> There
are some simple things each of us can do that, if we all are diligent, can have
a big impact on how the next several months play out for everyone.<sup>[30]</sup>

Current guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<sup>[1]</sup> states:

> It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19<sup>[9]</sup> by touching a surface or
object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or
possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the *main* way the virus spreads.

While surface contact may not be the *main way the virus spreads*, multiple
sources<sup>[3],[4],[5]</sup> suggest various *strains* of Coronaviruses<sup>[8]</sup> can
remain active in the air for hours or on different *surfaces* for days.
A pre-publication study specifically of SARS-CoV-2<sup>[4]</sup>
concludes it remains viable on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on plastic or stainless steel
for up to 72 hours.

What surfaces do we need to consider cleaning? What cleaning solutions work?
How often should we be cleaning?

### What surfaces to clean? 

You should routinely clean, with a disinfecting solution of some
kind (see below), any surface and object that you touch in your work, even if infrequently.
Obviously, this includes your computer keyboard, mouse, and monitor, as well as the desk area
immediately around these. However, it is easy to forget about the other things
{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.0841103710751665, 'fraction_numerical': 0.019790675547098003, 'mean_word_length': 4.6576964477933265, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 39, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 41, 'https://': 6, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
{'dir': 'git-commits-cleaned', 'id': '2009416', 'n_tokens_mistral': 1542, 'n_tokens_neox': 1390, 'n_words': 735}