Novel coronavirus can live in water, but is it infectious?

May 14, 2020

While experts say the novel coronavirus can live in water for hours to days, the risk of actually picking it up from swimming is low. The real danger for infection is from people who will be flocking to those areas once they’ve reopened across the country.

Wall Scholar Curtis Suttle (Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences), an expert in ocean microbiology and immunology, is quoted in this article. He explains that any amount of virus that’s being shed in the water likely won’t result in spreading the infection.

As a Wall Scholar, Suttle is exploring ideas on the role of viruses in shaping life on Earth, human existence and thought.