Saskatoon mechanic wants people to be 'more diligent' about possible COVID-19 contamination when dropping off their cars
A Saskatoon mechanic believes he caught COVID-19 earlier this month by entering and working in vehicles “littered” with used face masks.
However, an expert says that transmission from contaminated surfaces is “very low risk.”
Michael Ross has been a mechanic for 30 years and works at the Canadian Tire on Confederation Drive. He’s asking the public to be more aware of the conditions inside their vehicles when they’re dropped off for servicing.
“There’s coffee cups, there’s cigarette butts, there’s wrappers and not to mention … now we’ve got these used masks all over the place, hanging from the rearview mirror, off the signal, shift, sitting on the seats, they’re just strewn everywhere,” Ross told CTV News while in isolation at home.
Ross says leaving used masks inside vehicles during a pandemic puts mechanics at risk. After having symptoms for a couple of days, he took a rapid test and tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 10.
‘It really freaked me right out. I’m double vaccinated but now I’m in self-quarantine and being off work for five days, almost a full week, does put a damper on my pocketbook,” he said.
Ross says people leaving garbage and used masks in their vehicles is “not acceptable.” He says two or three other colleagues of his have also tested positive for COVID-19.
“We don’t know if they had it and it does put a bit of a concern and a fear into us and I don’t see why people can be more diligent,” Ross said
CAN YOU CATCH COVID-19 FROM SURFACES?
Joseph Blondeau, head of clinical microbiology at Royal University Hospital, says two years into the pandemic, evidence shows transmission from contaminated surfaces is “very low risk.”
“While it’s not zero, the likelihood for transmission from surfaces is thought to be certainly substantially less than say transmission from another infected individual,” Blondeau told CTV News.
Blondeau says evidence emerging from the Omicron variant shows the number of asymptomatic people with COVID-19 could be as high as 27 to 40 per cent of the infected population.
While it is possible to catch COVID-19 from a contaminated surface, you’re more likely to catch the virus from another person, Blondeau says.
Depending on the surface, COVID-19 can stay on surfaces anywhere from hours up to three days but no new information has been shared since the start of the pandemic.
“We still recommend that if you come in contact with a high touch surface, either don’t touch it or if you can decontaminate it, that’s a reasonable thing to do.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.