Covid-19 could spread by airborne transmission and reach Bengal via trucks and lorries from other states, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday.
The prime minister’s apprehension comes a day after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that Covid-19 can be spread by airborne transmission.
“No matter what others say, Covid-19 is surely spreading through airborne transmission. We still don’t know how far the virus is spreading through the air. Everyone is giving a different opinion. All we can do is take precautions until a vaccine is developed, “he told a management meeting Tuesday.
The CDC in an updated guide on Monday had said that Covid-19 can be spread through airborne transmission. A month ago, the CDC lifted a similar warning. The updated guide said that the virus can linger in the air for minutes to hours in tiny droplets and particles, or aerosols, and some people could become infected from exposure to these.
The prime minister advised officials in the Jhargram district, where the administrative meeting was taking place, to check the tires of some trucks entering the state. Jhargram shares its borders with Jharkhand and Covid-19 numbers have increased in the district in recent weeks.
“We need to test the tires of some trucks that enter the state through toll plazas. If the virus can be spread through clothes and shopping bags, why not get tired? Banerjee said.
Although studies have shown that the virus could easily spread in a small, enclosed environment such as public transportation, no study has yet been published suggesting that the virus could be transmitted through the tires of moving vehicles.
“In my town, six members of a family tested positive. Of these, the disease had spread to another 36. It had stopped the movement of vehicles on the road where the house was located because as vehicles move from one place to another, they can spread diseases. Vehicle tires can carry organisms that can trigger disease. Shortly after the town became a containment zone and vehicle movement stopped, the disease stopped spreading. But as soon as the restrictions were lifted on September 8, it again began to spread. Two of my officials tested positive after the restrictions were lifted, ”he added.
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