An antiviral coating capable of protecting surfaces from viruses, such as the new novel coronavirus, for as long as 90 days has been developed by researchers from Hong Kong University, according to a report from Reuters.

Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) say the coating, named MAP-1, can be sprayed on public surfaces such as handrails and elevator buttons.

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“These places are frequently touched, and, at the same time, serve as a very effective medium for transmission of diseases,” HKUST Adjunct Professor Joseph Kwan told Reuters.

The coating, which took 10 years to develop, has millions of nanocapsules containing disinfectants that researchers say stay effective in killing bacteria, viruses and spores long after the spray has dried. MAP-1 uses heat-sensitive polymers that release disinfectants on human contact. Researchers say the coating is nontoxic and is safe for the skin and the environment.

The coating is available for commercial purchase and was approved for mass consumer use in February after clinical tests at a Hong Kong hospital and a home for the elderly earlier this year. It’s set to go on sale in stores in Hong Kong next month.

The spray-on coating has been sprayed around the homes of more than a thousand low-income families in Hong Kong thanks to a local charity, and shopping malls, schools and sports facilities in the city have utilized the coating as well, according to Reuters.

The report comes as the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has infected more than three million people since the virus emerged out of Wuhan, China late last year. More than 212,000 people have died from the coronavirus globally, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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