I'm not claiming that all surfaces are exactly equal in their ability of transmitting it. But the guidance of "such as bedding, towels, ..." under a heading specifically about sex makes it seem like an artificially narrow category. How about upholstered furniture? Did the last guest lie shirtless on the sofa in your airbnb or hotel room? People are acting like this is only an issue of gay men having sex, and while clearly that's a very large factor, as the outbreak grows I'm guessing the chance of other forms of community transmission are going to rise.
We've historically treated the bedsheets of the ill as being an infection vector, before germ theory.
It is odd they tie bedsheets to sex contact alone. Eg if you sometimes co-sleep, that itself is a vector. Though good chances are you are also having sex with your sleeping partner.
There is a time element as well. If someone with the disease laid out on your sofa yesterday and it's dried out since, you're fine. It also probably requires sustained (and probably wet - eg sweat) contact.
