Spitting in public can spread virus, says expert

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 5

As part of the country’s fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic, spitting in public places has been banned under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and is a punishable offence with a fine as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Dr Simarpreet Sandhu, a prominent oral pathologist, said according to experts spitting in public places could lead to the spread of Covid-19 as the virus remained active in saliva for one to three days.

She said in order to create awareness, Sambandh Health Foundation (SHF), Gurugram, had launched a ‘Spitting Kills’ mobile app to spread the message. She said the app helped spread awareness through social media that spitting was unhygienic, unhealthy and spreads the infection.

Dr Sandhu, who is the Secretary-General of Asian Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathologists and a council member of Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV), said the need of the hour was to spread the awareness that spitting could spread death. She said a ban on spitting in public places would also help check the spread of other infectious diseases like TB.