Concerned over increasing instances of installation of disinfection tunnels in different places, the Uttarakhand government has said that such equipment serves no purpose and their installation should be discouraged. The decision of government came after the World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concern over the installation of disinfectant tunnels in markets and other places and said that these tunnels are actually defeating the purpose for which they are being used.
WHO said that these tunnels create a false sense of security and feared that the people may get diverted from hand wash to disinfection tunnels. “The spraying of alcohol, chlorine or Lysol on human beings is not only harmful but also ineffective. These tunnels should not be installed and used,’’ a circular of WHO said.
In an order to all district magistrates (DM) and chief medical officers (CMO), the additional secretary medical health, Yugal Kishore Pants said that the installation of disinfectant tunnels are not according to the advisory issued by the government of India.