The coronavirus, which has been identified as Covid-19, is still going strong and everyone is taking precautions to ensure that they remain uninfected. Recently, a Malaysian netizen, Taufiq Razif, who is a doctor, shared some advice he got from observing his wife who is a medical doctor as an extra precaution for us.
He posted a photo of a hospital elevator’s buttons and advised people to practice caution when pressing on them. He said, “Imagine how many thousands of fingers touched these elevator buttons every day? A hospital is a place for sick patients and those who are infected with the coronavirus will cover their mouths with their hands when they cough or sneeze.”
“This is also the hands that they will use to touch other things. My wife is a medical doctor but she has a slightly unusual habit. Every time she needs to touch the lift buttons, she will use her elbow instead of her hands. Otherwise, she will use a tissue. At first, I thought she had slight OCD but now I realise that her actions were right.”
Taufiq said he asked his wife for advice and she said that we should try to avoid using our hands on these three items: doorknobs (especially for toilet doors), elevator buttons (especially in hospitals) and shared items. He explained that our dirty hands can easily spread germs and bacteria if we’re not careful especially if we cover our hands with our mouths when we cough or sneeze.
After coughing and sneezing into your hands, all the respiratory droplets are stuck on your palms which will come into contact with many surfaces that are also touched by many others. Imagine if you touched something that was infested with germs and inadvertently touched your face!
“Let this be a lesson for us all, viruses and bacteria are all very real. Practice good personal hygiene and always be careful,” Taufiq added.
It’s always better to be safe rather than sorry! But perhaps do it in a more practical way instead of using condoms as illustrated by the article below!
Also read: People in Singapore Allegedly Using Condoms to Protect Their Fingers When Pressing Elevator Buttons