To be clear: The fact that the coronavirus is much less likely to spread through surfaces does not mean that it is impossible to get the coronavirus from touching things. If somebody with COVID-19 sneezes three times onto a little spot on a cold steel table, and you rub your hand around in the snot for a bit and immediately lick your fingers, that disgusting act may well result in you infecting yourself. But the threat of such unbelievably stupid behavior at a mass level shouldn’t warrant a multibillion-dollar war on fomites. “If surface transmission happened, it would have to require touching a newly contaminated surface, then very quickly touching your eyes, nose, or mouth without washing your hands first,” Goldman allows. That’s why he strongly advocates for hand-washing with soap and warm water, but otherwise not treating surfaces during this pandemic too differently than you otherwise would.