Concerned about protecting yourself from coronavirus? Health authorities emphasize that frequent, proper hand washing is one of the most effective defenses.
As France's Minister of Health advises: "Wash your hands more often, every hour if possible." This simple practice significantly reduces virus transmission when done right.
Follow these doctor-recommended steps for thorough hand hygiene:
Wet your hands under running water, turn off the tap, and apply soap.
Lather up by rubbing palms together, then interlocking fingers. Scrub the backs of hands with opposite palms and fingers. Rotate thumbs and wrists thoroughly, and clean under nails by rubbing them against palms.
Continue rubbing all surfaces for at least 20 seconds to maximize germ removal.
Rinse hands well under running water, rubbing to flush away residue.
Dry hands completely with a clean towel or air dryer. Wet hands facilitate virus spread, so thorough drying is essential.
Mastering this technique, as recommended by experts like Dr. Gayet, an infectious disease specialist at Strasbourg's CHRU, dramatically lowers contamination risk. "Proper hand washing requires practice—most people don't do it correctly," she notes.
Coronavirus spreads via respiratory droplets from coughs or sneezes, but hands transfer it to entry points like your mouth, nose, or eyes. Studies show we touch our face about once per minute, per Jérôme Salomon, France's Director General of Health. Regular washing breaks this chain.
- Soap's friction dislodges germs; scrub every crevice.
- Wet hands before soaping to prevent dryness.
- Keep nails short to minimize germ traps.
- Roll up long sleeves to avoid contamination.
- At home, soap and water suffice; use hand sanitizer (at least 3ml, rub 20+ seconds) when out.
- Sanitizers don't remove dirt but help in a pinch.
- Virus survives ~3 hours on surfaces but is more transmissible via people.
- Dishwasher cycles effectively clean shared items.
