COVID: Stop touching your faces! We are unaware of the frequency. (forehead, cold)
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I've posted about this before but making a thread now because many are shocked that they or someone they know contracted covid despite taking the recommended precautions of masks and distancing.
This is one precaution that hasn't been stressed enough.
While airborne droplets of cv19, flu, cold and other viruses can enter mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth, some people will get them from touching those facial areas after picking up the virus from objects or surfaces.
There are several studies about how often we touch our faces without realizing it. It can be thousands of times a day. A recent study found that participants touched their faces an average of 23 times per HOUR and 44% of those touches came into contact with mucous membranes. https://www.umms.org/coronavirus/wha...not-touch-face Nobody washes their hands that many times an hour, or every single time after touching a surface or object out in public.
We can greatly reduce our personal risk of contracting covid and other viruses by becoming more aware of how often we touch our faces and train ourselves to avoid doing it.
Initially, I thought that masks might help serve as a reminder for people to avoid touching their faces before washing their hands. But, I am seeing people do it more often because they are fiddling with their masks.
Keep in mind that masks and distancing are about numbers. The purpose is to potentially slow the spread (not prevent it) so that the number of infected people at any given time remains manageable.
I am terrible about touching my face. My nervous habit is picking at my lips---really bad. The least bit of stress or emotion and the hand flies to the forehead.
Seems like my eyes and nose itch more than...well, more than my husband. So I have a hard time with this restriction. I was more aware of it while wearing the mask on a long flight, so tried not to. Wore glasses too.
That warning does seem to have fallen by the wayside compared to the mask/distancing. Those are much easier to do!
There are several studies about how often we touch our faces without realizing it. It can be thousands of times a day. A recent study found that participants touched their faces an average of 23 times per HOUR and 44% of those touches came into contact with mucous membranes. https://www.umms.org/coronavirus/wha...not-touch-faceNobody washes their hands that many times an hour, or every single time after touching a surface or object out in public.
You never worked in the seafood business. When I was working with seafood, washing hands, and changing gloves was a constant. Maybe not 23x, but it was close.
I remember studies done in restaurants that compared those that used gloves vs no gloves.
They actually showed that no gloves were cleaner, people washed their hands, didn't touch stuff they weren't supposed to because it was their hands.
When using gloves they assumed the gloves protected them from everything. Which of course isn't true. Still matters what you touch. You see this sometimes when fast food workers wear gloves touch money and them touch food. Gloves are useless.
Aren't we all aware of the dangers of touching our face, but also it is a habit is hard to break.
All habits are hard to break but not impossible.
Getting a covid infection because you touched your face in the grocery store might be more difficult to beat than a habit.
It's not that hard to be aware of what you do with your hands after touching objects and surfaces in public. I think most, if not all, of us will slip now and then but it would reduce personal risk.
SimplySagacious, yes, thanks for the reminder! Most or all of us know to do this, but it's always good to hear.
I'm not really touching my face. I'm actually more in the habit NOT to because I've always worn makeup & didn't want to just touch my face because makeup will get on my fingers. But ever since COVID started almost 8 mos ago, I haven't worn makeup, so I have to remember to continue not to touch anywhere on my face & I think I've been doing a good job!
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You never worked in the seafood business. When I was working with seafood, washing hands, and changing gloves was a constant. Maybe not 23x, but it was close.
Most or all of us know to do this, but it's always good to hear. 
