Coronavirus Questions Answered: Water Safety

What are your questions about the coronavirus?

ideastream is answering as many questions as possible, with help from local experts in a range of fields. You can  send us your questions with our online form, through our  social media  pages and  group or call us at 216-916-6476. We'll  keep the answers coming on our website and on the air.

Diane asked: “ How hot do you have to get your water to kill the coronavirus?”

University Hospitals’ Dr. Keith Armitage said boiling water for a minute will deactivate the virus.

He said if Diane is concerned about food prep, any routine cooking will also kill the virus. If she’s wondering about laundry, Armitage said soap will kill the virus no matter the water temperature.

If Diane is concerned about her drinking water, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say she shouldn’t be. They say the strain of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has not been detected in drinking water, and common water treatment methods should remove or inactivate the virus.

Diane might also be thinking about the safety of the water in her pool or hot tub. The CDC says there’s no evidence that the virus can be spread to people through water in pools, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas, because disinfection with chlorine should inactivate the virus. But health officials say if you go to a one of those places, you should still practice social distancing and good hand hygiene.  

Lawrence wrote to ask how long the virus might be active in water, because he lives near a natural hot spring, and he'd like to use it. 

MetroHealth’s Dr. David Margolius has some tips for anyone thinking about swimming in Lake Erie and other bodies of water, like hot springs. He said swimming in fresh or salt water is safe, because while there is some evidence that the virus can briefly live in water, there isn’t any evidence that once it’s in water, it can cause infection.  

In large bodies of water, including swimming pools, Margolius said the virus is quickly diluted. And in chlorinated swimming pools, the chemicals deactivate the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Margolius said even though water is likely safe, being on a crowded beach is not, and beachgoers need to maintain social distancing requirements of six feet apart, even though it’s outside.