The coronavirus doesn’t last as long on door handles and other nonporous surfaces when it’s exposed to sunlight, higher temperatures and humidity, according to a US government study. “The virus is dying at a much more rapid pace" from exposure to humidity or heat, Bill Bryan, an undersecretary at the Homeland Security Department, said at a White House news conference Thursday.
President Donald Trump has previously expressed interest in whether summer weather would end the outbreak of the virus, suggesting in February that warmer spring temperatures could eliminate cases by this month.
More than 870,000 people in the US have been confirmed infected with the virus and more than 49,000 have died. About 20,000 new cases were added on Thursday.