Nightly deep-cleaning with floor-to-ceiling spray downs. Temperature checks at the gym. Plastic or plexiglass dividers to try to block the flow of contagious viral particles. Movie theaters doused in disinfectant claimed to last a month or more.
These are common refrains in advertisements as businesses strive to convince customers its safe to return.
But those measures, while visually impressive, might be just that, and no more. According to experts, they will do little-to-nothing to protect you and the people around you from the most risky sources of infection.
Welcome to hygiene theater. Coined in July 2020 by The Atlantic, the term describes attempts at coronavirus precautions that are, at best, only mildly protective at the cost of large amounts of time, energy, and resources. At worst, hygiene theater can instill a false sense of security, and potentially worsen the risk of viral spread if people let their guard down.
"A lot of restaurants and business are advertising that they're doing a lot," Dr. Sy ra Madad, senior director of NYC Health + Hospitals System-wide Special Pathogens Program, told Insider. "I'm not saying you shouldn't do cleaning and disinfecting, but it's missing the point of the most important ways people can get sick."