Phones with Aarogya Setu may tell you if you’re safe but the devices themselves could put you at risk

New Delhi: A group of doctors from AIIMS, Raipur have recommended restrictions on use of mobile phones in healthcare institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, warning that such devices can be a potential carrier of the virus and lead to infection among healthcare workers.

In a commentary published in the BMJ Global Health journal, the doctors stated that mobile phone surfaces are a peculiar ‘high-risk’ surface, which can directly come in contact with the face or mouth, even if hands are properly washed and one study indicates that some healthcare workers use phones every 15 minutes to two hours.