A useful new tool has arisen quickly during the COVID-19 epidemic. The SafeTouch multi-tool, launched just two weeks ago, is a handy accessory meant to limit exposure to shared surfaces by opening doors and pushing keypads and touchscreens. Made of antiviral copper, the SafeTouch has other functions that'll continue to make it useful whenever the hell this is all over: a bottle opener, flathead screwdriver, and box buster. For storage, you can either utilize the key ring attachment or simply hook it onto your belt loop.
If all that wasn't enough to pique your interest, perhaps a streetwear collaboration will do the trick. Pleasures, the LA-based brand that leans punk, has linked with SafeTouch for a co-branded multi-tool. Instead of a copper finish, the piece is black with silver decorations that include the brand names and spiderwebs on one side. On the other is a big "Satisfaction Guaranteed," a vote of confidence in this effort to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Is copper really antiviral? —
Indeed it is, scrupulous reader. A 2015 Department of Defense grant found that infection rates were reduced by 58 percent in hospitals using copper alloys. An additional study discovered that SARS-COVID and other SARS-like viruses were undetectable on copper surfaces just five minutes after exposure.
Get your own multi-tool —
Given streetwear's obsession with accessories, this should be a no-brainer. While many such purchases extend beyond novelty, nothing but a face mask is more relevant to this dire reality we're in. If you want the ~fashionable~ version, you can pick up the Pleasures SafeTouch right here for $28. That's only a slight markup from the original version, which can be had for $24.99, $54.99 for a pack of three, or $84.99 for five.
Put your finger in that hole and keep your hands away from potentially infected surfaces.
