KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE MANAGEMENT OF WASTE CONTAMINATED AND POTENTIALLY CONTAMINATED BY SARS-COV-2

Abstract

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease with a high capacity to spread. Its prevention consists of respecting social distance, wearing a mask and performing adequate hygiene of hands and surfaces, which resulted in an increase in the amount of household solid waste generated during the period of social isolation. The objective of this study is to identify the knowledge of residents of Curitiba on the management of waste contaminated or potentially contaminated by SARS-CoV-2 through an exploratory-descriptive research with a quantitative approach with 420 participants. It was found that the population's lack of knowledge about the measures contained in the municipal protocol for the prevention of contamination by the coronavirus results in an inadequate disposal of masks, gloves, handkerchiefs and napkins, even those used in a preventive way, and incorrect storage of waste from suspected cases or confirmed cases of COVID-19, which increases the risk of contamination for both the population and public servants in public cleaning.