Gwangju Nam-gu Attaches Antibacterial Film Within Reach Inside Government Office

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (District Mayor Kim Byeong-nae) announced on the 31st that, due to the increased risk of COVID-19 infection in enclosed spaces and elevators used by many people, antibacterial films have been installed at the Nam-gu Office building and Nam-gu Comprehensive Culture and Arts Center as a countermeasure.

The antibacterial films were applied to the interior and exterior buttons of elevators 1 to 8 installed in the Nam-gu Office building, as well as all door handles on the 1st floor, frequently visited by civil petitioners, and on floors 5 to 9 where offices are located.

Additionally, antibacterial films were applied to the interior and exterior buttons of elevators on each floor of the Nam-gu Comprehensive Culture and Arts Center.

The antibacterial film containing copper is understood to be effective in blocking COVID-19 infection.

A joint research team from five institutions including the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted experiments by placing panels made of plastic, stainless steel, cardboard, and copper in enclosed spaces to observe how quickly the COVID-19 virus dies. On copper surfaces, the virus concentration was reduced by half after one hour and completely died after four hours.

In contrast, the virus survived with infectious capability for 72 hours on plastic surfaces, 48 hours on stainless steel, and 24 hours on cardboard.

A Nam-gu official stated, “The antibacterial film contains copper components that make it difficult for viruses and bacteria to inhabit, so it is expected to have an infection prevention effect,” adding, “More importantly, thorough personal hygiene such as social distancing and hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.