Why is it necessary to clean my phone (to remove COVID-19)?

So you’ve just washed your hands and you’re feeling squeaky clean. Then you pick up your cellphone, and guess what? It’s covered with potential pathogens.

“Studies have shown that smartphones surfaces are covered in bacteria, including bacteria that can cause serious infections like Staphylococcus species,” says Judy Guzman-Cottrill, an infectious disease expert at Oregon Health & Science University.

And phones are often held close to the eyes, nose and mouth, where germs can enter the body. So wipe it down often.

And you don’t have to rub down your phone for long if you’re using an alcohol-based sanitizer. “Just a few seconds should be sufficient to disinfect,” says Andrew Janowski (infectious disease expert at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital).

Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/14/811609026/the-new-coronavirus-can-live-on-surfaces-for-2-3-days-heres-how-to-clean-them