The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) in the United States has urged the Kenyan government to reverse its recent COVID-19 related ban on the import of used garments and shoes, saying all available research on the novel coronavirus shows they do not pose a threat to people who wear such garments or footwear.

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) notified representatives of SMART, a non-profit association of for-profit businesses in the textile reuse and recycling industry, on April 1 that the country’s import of used garments and shoes had been suspended until further notice. KEBS implemented the ban as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, a decision made under the false pretenses that the virus can be transmitted through used footwear and textiles

According to guidelines issued by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mitigating whatever small risk might be present on soft, porous surfaces like textiles is easily addressed by laundering the textile according to manufacturer instructions in warm water.

This advice is supported by the fact that countless hospitals and other medical facilities are utilising reusable linens and personal protective equipment and hospital apparel to protect healthcare workers that are treating patients infected with COVID-19.

Furthermore, used clothing that is shipped overseas is typically in transit for weeks, if not months at a time–far longer than the virus has ever been shown to survive on even the most hospitable non-porous hard surfaces.