In this deadly crisis
of the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 coronavirus, handwashing continues to be
the foremost tip to prevent the spread of this disease. This is nothing but a
practice – primary consciousness; and of course, the first step to keep the
virus away… and trust us, It Works!
As suggested by the
World Health Organization (WHO), you must religiously follow the ways in which
you need to wash your hands properly. For this, you need nothing else than mere
soap and water. Alternately, if you do not have soap and water handy, you might
want to opt for an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, instead – says WHO.
This article vividly
discusses the ways in which you need to wash your hands, the things you need to
wash them, as also, when you need to consider washing your hands.
The 5 Important Steps to Handwashing:
- Wet Your Hands: Join both your hands together under fresh
running water.
- Lather up the Soap: Be it a liquid handwash, or a soap cake, you
need to apply a generous amount on the palms, at the back, inside your fingers,
and finally, your fingertips and nails. Keep scrubbing to and fro, inside and
outside, while massaging your fingers.
- Begin Scrubbing: Keep rubbing both your hands together gently
(actually, you don’t really need to make harsh, scrubbing strokes, but just be
gentle).
- Rinse thoroughly: Next, bring back both your hands under the
running water, and then, wash away the soap gently.
- Dry Hands completely: Finally, shake your hands dry as much as you
can, and then, use a disposable towel or any paper towel to pat dry the excess water
completely. You might also want to use air dryers that are commonly available in
public bathrooms.
15 Safety Tips about when you
need to Wash your Hands
While the coronavirus
has spread as a pandemic, globally, thorough handwashing throughout the day,
from time to time, is certainly urgent. Following are a few of the common
situations when you need to consider washing your hands thoroughly:
- While
taking care for a patient, who is sick along with symptoms like cold, diarrhoea
or vomiting.
- Prior to and
after treating any kind of open wound, bruises, or cut.
- After wearing
your shoes (especially, if made of leather).
- After working
on public PCs, coming into contact with public tables, railings, currency notes
and coins, lift buttons, countertops, public phones, ATMs, etc.
- Before you
leave your washroom or bathroom, including home, workplace, and public toilets.
- When you
come home from a public place, including hospital, public transport, grocery
store, shopping mall, workplace, theatre hall, sporting event, concert, nursing
home, school/college/university, etc.
- Just prior
to eating any kind of food.
- If you
have shaken hands with someone, especially during the flu season or viral
outbreaks.
- Before,
during, and after cooking your food, mostly raw food (both vegetarian and
non-vegetarian).
- After cleaning
and changing diapers of a child who has used the toilet.
- After coughing,
sneezing, or cleaning and blowing your nose.
- After you
touch any live farm stock, feed, or waste.
- After
handling your pet, its food or treats.
- After you
touch or clean any kind of waste or garbage.
- After
being close or intimate with a partner.
How long should you Wash your
Hands
Modern science has proved
that washing your hands for at least 20 seconds kills the corona germ
effectively. However, if you think you are lazy or feel impatient, WHO suggests
a trick to sing the “happy birthday to you” twice.
…so, finally
While we just
discussed the path to improved health, proper handwashing techniques not only
reduce the chances of the spread of this deadly disease, but can also help
prevent the spread of many other infections caused by various other viruses,
including common cold, influenza, and so on.
As we discussed in our
other articles too, stick to these simple guidelines to develop an urgent habit
of handwashing, and that can effectively reduce the chances of not only
COVID-19, but also, several other illnesses that spread easily, viz. MERS (Middle
East Respiratory Syndrome) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).
