Everyday Prevention

No, you probably can’t get COVID-19 from your shoes.

Heather Young, PhD MPH
Published: May 1, 2020

In a small study, doctors found viral genetic material on the shoes of some ICU workers who were caring for patients with COVID-19. They didn’t test whether the virus on their shoes could actually infect people. And none of the hospital workers had gotten sick with COVID-19. 

So, can you get COVID-19 from your shoes?  The answer is probably not, but here are some sensible precautions:

  • Because shoe surfaces can pick up a lot of germs (not just novel coronavirus), it’s always a good idea to take off your shoes when you come home.
  • Wash your hands after touching your shoes. This is probably the most effective thing to do.
  • If you work somewhere like a hospital, consider having a specific pair of shoes just to wear to work.
  • You probably don’t need to disinfect your shoes. If you want to, though, washing shoes in hot water with detergent has been found to reduce the amount of germs on them.

 

Last update:  April 20, 2020, 6:30 PM

Science review: JAB, GSN