The New York Public Library might quarantine books to keep COVID-19 from spreading.

Quarantine: not just a thing for humans and those tigers at the Bronx Zoo. It turns out the New York Public Library may choose to quarantine its books between borrowers to make sure they’re not transmitting COVID-19, New York Public Library chief executive Tony Marx told Max Zahn of Yahoo Finance.

While some studies have measured the virus’ ability to live on newspapers, cardboard, and plastic, Marx noted that library systems need more guidance on how book materials could carry it. “How long can the virus live on paper or any other element of a book?” he asked.

In the meantime, in lieu of physical books, New Yorkers can make do with the library’s ebook selection, the distant memory of encountering other humans in physical space, and dreams of holding the job of a sourdough librarian.

[via Yahoo Finance]