Coronavirus survives longer on plastic, glass, than paper and cloth: IIT Bombay

The novel coronavirus may survive for longer on plastic and glass compared to porous surfaces like paper and cloth, a new study by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay suggests.

The study noted that droplets remained in the liquid form for a shorter time on porous surfaces, making it less favourable for survival of the virus. 99.9% of the droplet's liquid content for both impermeable and porous surfaces evaporates within the first few minutes. Post that, a microscopic thin residual liquid film remains on the exposed solid parts, where the virus can still survive.

The study concluded that the virus may survive for four days on glass, seven days on plastic and stainless steel, while it survived only three hours on paper and two days on cloth.

Researchers recommend that to prevent the spread of virus upon touch, furniture in hospitals and offices which is usually made of impermeable materials, must be covered with porous material.