The new coronavirus is quickly destroyed by sunlight, according to new research announced by a senior US official last night, though the study has not yet been made public and awaits external evaluation.

William Bryan, science and technology advisory, told reporters that government scientists had found ultraviolet rays had a potent impact on the pathogen, offering hope that its spread may ease over the summer.
‘Our most striking observation to date is the powerful effect that solar light appears to have on killing the virus, both surfaces and in the air,’ he said.
‘We’ve seen a similar effect with temperature and humidity as well, where increasing the temperature and humidity or both are generally less favorable to the virus.’

It has long been known that ultraviolet light has a sterilizing effect because the radiation damages the virus’s genetic material and its ability to replicate.