PARENTS of children who climb a tree on York's riverside are being warned that they might be putting themselves at risk of catching the coronavirus.

Someone has printed a sign and attached it to the tree next to the River Ouse in New Walk, just upstream of the Millennium Bridge.

It warns: "Parents please be aware several children climb this tree every day - sanitiser not guaranteed!"

The coronavirus primarily spreads through airborne droplets but people can catch it by touching a surface or object that has viral particles on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or eyes.

A study published The Lancet found that the virus lasted longest — up to seven days — on stainless steel, plastic, and surgical masks, disappeared from paper in three hours and took two days to leave wood and cloth fabric.