Students build UV tunnel after misleading reports claim this can kill COVID-19

Engineering Students in Khon Kaen, northeastern Thailand, have built an Ultra Violent "sanitiser" tunnel to protect themselves from coronavirus, amid misleading claims that UV light kills COVID-19.

According to local reports, they developed the machine to put at the entrances of supermarkets and other public spaces.

Footage from Friday (March 20) shows the DIY tunnel, which is made up of a metal structure covered with sheets used in greenhouses and has three UV bulbs inside.

The principal Samroeng Suksaway claimed that the initial test showed positive results for killing a virus and said they had already received two domestic orders for the machine.

A report was published on March 2 by Komchadluek, a Thai newspaper, titled “7 evil things that virus COVID-19 is afraid of," has been shared tens of thousands of times.

The article misleadingly advises that Ultra Violent, chlorine and high temperatures can kill COVID-19.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also stated here that UV should not be used as a disinfectant for the coronavirus.

“UV lamps should not be used to sterilize hands or other areas of skin as UV radiation can cause skin irritation,” the agency said.

There has been no confirmed vaccine that cures the disease.