Microbiologist at the University of British Southampton William Kevil suggested that door handles, shopping trolleys and handrails on public transport, and even gym equipment be painted with copper, to prevent the spread of the emerging corona virus (Covid 19).
Kevil added that buses in Poland were already equipped with copper-plated handrails, as the stalls at airports in Chile and Brazil were painted with metal, and gyms in America covered tools and other equipment in copper.
Kevil told The Times that when the virus lands on copper, metal ions attack its sebaceous membrane (the structure that protects it), then copper invades the cell and destroys the DNA of the virus and kills it completely.
Professor Kevil, who has been studying the antimicrobial effects of copper for more than two decades, added that screens in fast food restaurants and cash machines can also benefit from using the metal.