Puducherry’s Bus Stand turned Market gets a disinfectant tunnel thanks to CII and Yi
The next time you visit Puducherry’s Bus Stand turned Vegetable Market you will have to pass through an arch-like short tunnel that sprays a simple disinfectant mist as you walk through it. The “disinfectant tunnel” is the latest in the line of Covid19 preventive measures in Puducherry.
Disinfectant tunnels have now come up in public spaces in various cities across India and might soon become a common sight in spots that attract large crowds. Puducherry’s first disinfectant tunnel was installed and inaugurated on Wednesday by V. Narayanasamy, Chief Minister of Puducherry. It is an initiative by the Puducherry Municipality in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Puducherry Chapter of Young Indians (Yi), who sponsored it.
So what’s the disinfectant used ?
The first disinfectant tunnel set up in neighbouring Tamil Nadu- in a market in Tirupur -made news in the beginning of April. The tunnel uses 1% sodium hypochlorite solution. Sodium hypochlorite, is a common bleaching agent and is used in many cleaning solutions and for water purification in large swimming pools.
The disinfectant tunnel installed in Puducherry sprays 0.5% sodium hypochlorite solution per 1 ppm (parts per million) on anyone who walks through the tunnel for a duration of between three to five seconds, a CII spokesperson told Pondylive. He added that the unit was tested and reviewed by doctors.
“The principle behind India’s new disinfectant tunnels are simple: wash your hands and walk through a tunnel in which overhead sprayers sprinkle disinfectant. This two-step process can considerably reduce the number of germs on an individual,” states a CII release.
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Does the disinfectant tunnel kill coronavirus ?
This new initiative is not a replacement but only a supplementary measure along with social distancing and handwashing to prevent Covd19 transmission, adds the CII release
The virus causing Covid19 can survive for different durations from 2 hours to several days depending on various factors like type of surface, temperature etc. The WHO recommends chemical disinfectants for surfaces but warns they must be used with appropriate recommendations.
A WHO manual on cleaning practises for healthcare settings states, “Many disinfectants are active against enveloped viruses, such as the COVID-19 virus, including commonly used hospital disinfectants. Currently, WHO recommends using: 70% ethyl alcohol to disinfect small areas between uses, and sodium hypochlorite at 0.5% (equivalent to 5000 ppm) for disinfecting surfaces. “
Below is the WHO myth buster on using chlorine on our bodies/clothes /surfaces. As mentioned, disinfectants cannot kill viruses that already exist inside a person’s body.
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Is it safe ?
The Puducherry tunnel has a capacity of 300 litres and needs to be refilled only once a day, according to Tamil Sengolan, Chairman, Yi Puducherry Chapter. Does the disinfectant cause any irritation on skin or eyes?
“It dispenses sodium hypochlorite not in the form of droplets but as a mist for a few seconds and does not cause irritation,” he explains, adding people are asked to look down when they’re walking – as an added precaution. The solution used is also of much lesser concentration than that used in swimming pools.
“The temporary vegetable market at the bus stand sees heavy crowds. Though everyone is asked to wash hands frequently, this is an additional precautionary measure to fight Covid19.” The Yi Puducherry Chapter is considering installing similar disinfectant tunnels at high crowd density areas based on requirement.
M Sankaranarayanan, Chairman, CII Puducherry and other office bearers of CII were present at the inauguration.
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