Every time you go to a store now, a worker has to wipe down the counter with some brand of disinfectant spray. Almost every surface a person touches could have the virus on it, and someone could potentially become infected. Many people are asking themselves, does hand sanitizer do enough, or should I be taking more precaution such as wearing gloves?
According to the CDC, “gloves are not a necessary precaution for people going about their routine activities.” In fact, gloves can provide another surface for the virus to fester on. They are a tool that is only as effective as you use them and if you use them ineffectively you can still contract the virus. If a person with gloves on touches something that has the virus on it and then touches their face, they have now potentially infected themselves”
If you do choose to wear gloves some best practices to keep in mind are as followed: “Don’t allow the gloves to touch your skin, throw them into a trashcan immediately, and clean and/ or sanitize your hands right away,” says Lee Health. People seem to misconstrue the true use of gloves and tend to be less careful when they have them on. Seeing them as a sort of force field around their hands, but they definitely are not that. The best tool a person has is handwashing. The best kind is soap and water, but alcohol is also very effective too. “When you use detergents like soap or alcohol you disrupt that oil layer the CDC says, “and the virus degrades.” Other precautionary measures you can take are bringing bleach wipes with you and wiping surfaces like the handles, pin pads, and anything else that is necessary for you to touch. A good practice to get into, though, is limiting the number of surfaces you touch. If you still have questions, the CDC’s website is informative and easy to navigate.
