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Covid-19 Environmental Health Guidelines (South Africa)

The COVID-19 pandemic has a devastating impact on the immediate environment due to its fast spread from person to person and on surfaces, and the implications that it poses in society. Following that the virus can survive on surfaces for about nine days, it is noteworthy that handling precautions of COVID-19 related subjects are properly followed.This concerns guidelines on the management of the deceased and the disposal of bodies with COVID-19; tracing of family, household, workplace and community contacts; cleaning, decontamination/disinfection in the workplace, household of patients and contacts; and other environmental factors. As such, the National Department of Health has developed environmental health guidelines to address environmentally health-related questions and gaps when responding to COVID-19.