Updated July 20, 2020
Thomas A. Russo, MD, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in several publications on the relative safety of vacation rentals in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The major mode of transmission of this virus is respiratory. If those respiratory infectious particles land on a high-touch area, and you then touch your eyes, your nose, or your mouth, etc., there’s a finite risk you could get infected,” he said. “However, this virus has a half-life (meaning there is less and less of it over time). So, if you rent a house and, assuming the high-touch areas have been cleaned, the risk of getting the virus from the physical objects in the house is very low,” he says.