Keeping Hands Clean

(The Fight Against COVID-19)

Updated:2020-04-26 | By:China.org.cn

Keeping Hands Clean

Besides wearing facemasks when going out, washing hands is also one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent infectious disease. In daily work and life, people may touch items contaminated by viruses and bacteria, and pathogens on their hands can get into their bodies through the mucosae of mouth, eyes and nose. Washing hands can easily and effectively interrupt transmission through mucosae and reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections.

To avoid transmission of the virus through hands, people should avoid touching items and facilities at public places and wash hands frequently. They should wash hands under the following conditions:

* before putting on facemasks;

* before preparing and eating food; 

* before touching, feeding or breastfeeding babies;

* after coming back from outside; 

* after taking off facemasks; 

* after touching tears, nasal discharge, sputum and saliva;

* after coughing and sneezing;

* after caring for patients; 

* after using the toilet;

* after touching public facilities or items (such as handrails, doorknobs, elevator buttons, coins and express parcels); 

* after cleaning baby stools; and

* after touching animals or cleaning their stools. 

People should avoid touching mouth, nose and eyes when not sure whether their hands are clean, and sneeze or cough into the elbow.

The right way of hands washing is: Wash the hands with soap or liquid soap and running water, rub the hands for over 20 seconds each time, and make sure the palms, fingers, the back of the hands, nails, and the wrists and all other parts of the hands are cleaned. If running water is not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer instead.

保持手卫生

除了外出佩戴口罩,洗手也是预防传染病最简单、最有效的措施之一。日常工作、生活中,人们的手不断接触到被病毒、细菌污染的物品,手上的病原体可以通过手和口、眼、鼻的粘膜接触进入人体。洗手可以简单有效地切断这一传播途径,有效降低感染新冠病毒的风险。

为避免病毒经手传播,应尽量减少接触公共场所的公共物品和部位,同时注意勤洗手。以下情况应及时洗手:外出归来,戴口罩前及摘下口罩后,接触过泪液、鼻涕、痰液和唾液后,咳嗽打喷嚏用手遮挡后,护理患者后,准备食物前,用餐前,如厕后,接触公共设施或物品后(如扶手、门柄、电梯按钮、钱币、快递等物品),接触婴幼儿及哺乳喂食前,处理婴幼儿粪便后,接触动物或处理动物粪便后等。如不确定手是否清洁时,避免用手接触口鼻眼;打喷嚏或咳嗽时,用手肘衣服遮住口鼻。

正确的洗手方法是:使用流动水和肥皂或洗手液洗手,每次洗手应揉搓20秒以上,确保手心、手指、手背、指缝、指甲缝、手腕等处均被清洗干净。不方便用流动水洗手时,可使用含酒精的免洗洗手液。