As Coronavirus cases continue to rise in the UK, shoppers are doing their best to stay vigilant and to avoid any contamination where possible.
Consumers have already been warned against using cash to pay for goods where possible, and to instead use contactless payment methods.
And now many people have been asking whether or not it is safe to use touch screens at self-checkouts or not.
Speaking about the risks, Dr Jenna Macciochi, an immunologist based at the University of Sussex, says it's most likely that Coronavirus will be passed on via coughs, sneezing or kissing, but she has not ruled out the chance of contamination via public touch screens.
She told us: "SARS-Cov-19 is thought to be transmitted via person-to-person when people are in close contact (around 1.8 meters) and predominantly via coughing and sneezing releasing aerosolized droplets that land on people or are inhaled by people. But not through smaller droplets that can stay in the air for a long time.
"But transmission can also from touch via contaminated hands and surfaces. Although this is not thought to be the major way it's transmitted. Some coronaviruses can live on surfaces for days, but not much is known about this new coronavirus' ability to survive on surfaces."
Advising on best practice when using public touch screens and self-checkouts, Dr Jenna said: "When touching public screens I would recommend to wash hands immediately and try not to touch your face including eyes. Fortunately, alcohol 60%+ sanitiser, hydrogen-peroxide or bleach-based cleaners are effective at killing coronaviruses that do survive on surfaces. So use these where possible and always with frequent handwashing.
"How easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious (spread easily), like measles, while other viruses do not spread as easily. Another factor is whether the spread is sustained.
"The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably though not as fast as things like measles for example."
