Vid 19 is spreading rapidly throughout the world.

The U.

S has reported over 5000 cases so far, with many states practicing social distancing to limit the spread of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that Cove in 19 is spread primarily through person to person contact from something like a cough or a sneeze.

But even if you're not in direct contact with someone who is contagious, you might still come in contact with the virus.

If someone coughs or sneezes into their hands or wipes their nose and then touches the surface, it could become contaminated, the CDC says.

This type of transmission has not been documented, but experts say contaminated surfaces constituent pose a risk.

New research from the National Institutes of Health, Princeton University and the University of California, Los Angeles, broke down how long the co Vid 19 virus could survive on different services on.

While these results could be affected by temperature, humidity, UV light and wind, it's a reminder of how easily the virus can spread.

Luckily, the virus isn't airborne, but it can linger in droplets on particles in the air.

The study found that viruses could last up to three hours and droplets in the air maintaining a distance of 6 ft from other people can help avoid particles spread through a call for his knees on copper surfaces like a drawer handle.

The virus can last up to four hours.

While researchers found that the virus could survive on cardboard for up to 24 hours, the CDC believes packages or mail are unlikely to transmit the virus.

Cove in 19 appears to last the longest on plastic and stainless steel 2 to 3 days.

That's longer than the flu can live on.

Surfaces, according to the 500 non porous surfaces, seem to allow the virus to survive longer.

That could include things like door knobs, bus and subway handrails, light switches, desks and keyboards.

We don't know how long the virus can live on a phone or a phone case, but researchers speculate that because it's a smooth, non absorbent surface, it's possible that the survivability would be similar to plastic.

There are several steps you can take to reduce your risk of exposure.

Always avoid touching your eyes, mouth and face, and wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

If you're not able to wash your hands, use hand sanitizer.

You should also routinely clean commonly used surfaces like door knobs and your phone with disinfecting wipes and avoid nonessential travel to public places, especially at peak times.