"So far, no transmission of the virus in supermarkets, restaurants or hairdressers has been proven," explained Bonn virologist Hendrik Streeck on the ZDF Markus Lanz talk show.
Instead, the major outbreaks have been the result of close get-togethers over a longer period of time, he said.
That's demonstrated in, for example, outbreaks that have stemmed from après-ski parties in Ischgl, at football matches in Bergamo or at carnival celebrations in the municipality of Gangelt in the Heinsberg district of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Initial surveys and investigations in homes in Heinsberg have already provided some indications of how the virus works. Streeck, who is director of the Ins ute of Virology at Bonn University, said he was able to detect coronavirus by swabbing remote controls, washbasins, mobile phones, toilets or door handles.
However, it has not been possible to cultivate the virus in the laboratory on the basis of these swabs. "This means that we have detected the RNA (or ribonucleic acid, which carries the virus’s genetic information) of 'dead' viruses," Streeck said.
According to his previous research results, he believes "that a door handle can only be infectious if someone has actually coughed in their hand and then reached for it.