Agreed, when people are desperate some will try anything, rational goes out the window, herd instinct a powerful force & people literally throwing pet cats and dogs out of apartment windows because someone said they might transmit the virus shows the level of fear & panic.
However that doesn’t change the fact antibacterial things like antibiotics & Manuka honey are absolutely useless against viruses, and would hope most people would know that.
The active ingredient in Dettol is chloroxlenol and is widely found in most disinfectants. As a hard surface cleaner or on cuts & wounds it is effective in killing a wide range of bacteria and viruses so it’s probably quite effective for wiping down surfaces like lift buttons and door handles. Of course it’s poisonous so should never be used in an aerosol that people might breathe in. It’s also probably no more effective than many other disinfectants or simply washing your hands with soap & water.
From what I’ve read re the masks, since the virus is spread through both large droplets & fine aerosol particles, the light surgical masks offer a little protection about 6X as effective as no mask, compared to 100X the expensive N95 respirator masks but which are totally impractical for wearing for long periods in public.
Obviously it also depends on the environment, fine aerosol particles are going to float around a long time in still air of a sealed room, but quickly dispersed out in the open in a breeze.
That seems pretty logical & reasonable to me.