Days of caution

bowwinkles

Bronze Member
Nov 3, 2012
2,079
2,429
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Would like to hear from fellow metal detector users. What is your thought about covid virus affecting the grounds on a tot lot or play ground equipment. In my area the tot lots are used a lot and being the virus seems to be maintained in perspiration which would fall on the chips or playground equipment. Please comment on good proper thoughts so we can put some rumors to rest.
 

SD51

Silver Member
Aug 24, 2016
4,832
9,957
MI
Detector(s) used
E-TRAC
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Found this...

Of all the surfaces on the playground, plastic slides, climbing walls, and tunnels are most likely to harbor the novel coronavirus. A team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health, Princeton University, and the University of California Los Angeles dropped small amounts of COVID-19 on various surfaces to see how long it would survive. Their research, which was published on the preprint site MedRxiv and has yet to be peer-reviewed, found that the virus lasted longer on plastic than on any other material they tested — it took 16 hours for half of the COVID-19 to die, and the sample didn’t completely disappear from the surface for 2-3 days.
 

signal_line

Silver Member
Nov 14, 2011
3,601
1,835
Detector(s) used
XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
My wife caught this last one and no different than a common cold. She had a runny nose, sore throat, and a cough.
 

Last edited by a moderator:

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,450
54,864
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Please, no politics Signal Line.
 

fistfulladirt

Gold Member
Feb 21, 2008
12,204
4,918
Great Lakes State
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
dirtfishing
Primary Interest:
Other
It’s just not a big enough concern of mine to even consider worrying about it. We’re surrounded by millions of viruses every day.
 

releventchair

Gold Member
May 9, 2012
22,387
70,660
Primary Interest:
Other
Rare day I hunt in on or near a tot lot. Don't like the chips. Or mesh below on many sites. Plus not enough age usually in what is in the shallows. At least where I have hunted.
One earthen play area did turn up an old relic. Was it imported will fill soil? Or disturbed during site grading? Not a high traffic site though.

Anywhere people congregate in large numbers even briefly, or a few gather often , makes for a potential detecting site.
When a nimble durable human virus is involved , I'd expect greater odds of finding it associated with human "fresh" traffic sites. But yes , human related activities.

Don't lick the slides.
Wear gloves as one often does detecting. Don't touch your face ,eyes, pick your nose ect.
Hunt empty lots , or at least stay upwind..
Wear whatever protective equipment suits you.

Winter is coming. If I wanted to hunt the tot lot nearest me in a park , I'd wait till activity slowed to a crawl or ceased a while.
I pass by often and even in fall already it's seldom in use.
I can wait . Little competition lately. Including pre covid.
Kinda miss the one hunter who detected it when visiting from out of state. We were about the only regulars in that park left.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,714
40,793
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
If you have had a shot, just use hand sanitizer and don't put yo fingers on your face while there. It can't magically jump from the slides to your eyes, mouth or nose. I use sanitizer when I get back to my car after every outing.
 

SusanMN

Silver Member
Jun 1, 2007
4,534
4,098
Minnesota
Detector(s) used
Tiger Shark, Xterra 705, Makro Legend
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The best advice I have ever gotten on Treasurenet. Might add it to my signature:

DON’T LICK THE SLIDES.
 

ticndig

Silver Member
Apr 17, 2009
3,147
7,349
Cumberland Va
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
T-2-SE
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
hands in the dirt but not in your mouth and you'll be fine. U.V light from the sun likely kills most of it .
 

Mud Hut

Silver Member
Apr 23, 2014
3,490
4,175
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
That doesn't pose near the danger that touching a gas hose nozzle or the key pads on a gas tank does.
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,450
54,864
Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
"The COVID-19 virus can spread via direct contact, airborne transmission, or through droplets. There have also been a few reported cases potentially spread through surfaces. But the risk of this is very low. The chance of COVID-19 surface transmission is less than 1 in 10,000."

https://www.webmd.com/lung/how-long-covid-19-lives-on-surfaces
 

OP
OP
B

bowwinkles

Bronze Member
Nov 3, 2012
2,079
2,429
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Sounds like that gloves are almost mandatory around the tot lots. and keeping hands away from noose and mouth.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top