Across the world, we are all partaking in some social distancing due to the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Partaking in some social distance is the most effective way to reduce transmission of the virus, but washing your hands is also an important factor in halting contamination (the average person touches their face 18 times an hour!)
A few years ago, The Independent published a map of the European countries and the rate at which they wash their hands after using the restroom. Could this map be an indicator of coronavirus spread?
Here is the CDC’s official hand washing tutorial:
We wrote an article on how to help protect yourself against coronavirus here. These are the highlights:
- Practice social distance: The purpose of social distancing is to prevent contagious people from coming into close contact with healthy people in order to “flatten the curve”—AKA slowing down the spread of the virus—which ultimately avoids a spike in cases that overwhelms our health care system. To lessen the chances of catching COVID-19, experts recommend that people stay at least six feet away from each other, telework (if possible), and the closure of business and schools.
- Wash your hands: For 20 seconds, and thoroughly! Water and soap are still the best way to kill the virus on your hands. When a full wash isn’t available, use at least 60% alcohol content hand sanitizer.
- Clean your home: The Coronavirus has been shown to survive on surfaces anywhere from 4 hours to 3 days. For this reason, it’s important to keep your living quarters very clean. We suggest removing shoes before entering the home and wiping down surfaces that are eaten on with an antibacterial frequently.
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