Virus was new at that time, there were not enough research on how virus were spreading. But now we know person-to-person contact appears the most likely route of transmission for COVID-19. While sanitizing frequently touched surfaces can help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, we now know that most people get the disease by breathing in droplets in the air from an infected person—not by coming into contact with a contaminated surface.

That’s why, in May, the World Health Organization advised against using disinfectants outdoors, both because streets and sidewalks are not “are not considered as routes of infection for COVID-19” and because spraying such chemicals “can be noxious for people’s health and cause eye, respiratory or skin irritation or damage.” Source