Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory virus. Let’s do our part to stop the spread.

Hand washing is important.

Respiratory viruses like COVID-19 spread when mucus or respiratory droplets containing the virus get into the body through the eyes, nose, throat, or a cut in the skin. The virus is easily spread from one person to the next with uncleaned hands.

Here’s how to do it right.

• Step 1: Wet your hands with running water
• Step 2: Apply soap to cover all of your wet hands
• Step 3: Scrub all surfaces of the hands – including back of hands, between fingers and under nails – for at least 20 seconds.
• Step 4: Rinse thoroughly with running water
• Step 5: Dry hands with a clean cloth or single-use towel
• Step 6: Shut the running water off with a towel or cloth

In terms of COVID-19 prevention, we advise to wash your hands:

• After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
• After visiting a public space, including public transportation, markets and places of worship
• After touching surfaces outside of the home, including money
• Before, during and after caring for a sick person
• Before and after eating

Additionally, you should always wash your hands:

• After using the toilet
• Before and after eating
• After handling garbage
• After touching animals and pets
• After changing babies’ diapers or helping children use the toilet
• When your hands are visibly dirty

Source: UNICEF

Now is a perfect time to practice good health hygiene when coughing or sneezing.

Whenever possible cough or sneeze into a tissue.

Discard the used the tissue and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly.

Always turn away from others when coughing or sneezing.

This minimizing the risk of projecting germs on to others.

If necessary, cough or sneeze into your elbow.

Do not cough or sneeze into your hands or into open air. When you cough or sneeze into open air you can project germs several feet in front of you. Additionally when you cough or sneeze into your hands and then touch a surface, you may infect someone who touches the surface after you.