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.

保持手衛生

除了外出佩戴口罩,洗手也是預防傳染病最簡單、最有效的措施之一。日常工作、生活中,人們的手不斷接觸到被病毒、細菌污染的物品,手上的病原體可以通過手和口、眼、鼻的粘膜接觸進入人體。洗手可以簡單有效地切斷這一傳播途徑,有效降低感染新冠病毒的風險。

為避免病毒經手傳播,應盡量減少接觸公共場所的公共物品和部位,同時注意勤洗手。以下情況應及時洗手:外出歸來,戴口罩前及摘下口罩后,接觸過淚液、鼻涕、痰液和唾液后,咳嗽打噴嚏用手遮擋后,護理患者后,準備食物前,用餐前,如廁后,接觸公共設施或物品后(如扶手、門柄、電梯按鈕、錢幣、快遞等物品),接觸嬰幼兒及哺乳喂食前,處理嬰幼兒糞便后,接觸動物或處理動物糞便后等。如不確定手是否清潔時,避免用手接觸口鼻眼;打噴嚏或咳嗽時,用手肘衣服遮住口鼻。

正確的洗手方法是:使用流動水和肥皂或洗手液洗手,每次洗手應揉搓20秒以上,確保手心、手指、手背、指縫、指甲縫、手腕等處均被清洗干凈。不方便用流動水洗手時,可使用含酒精的免洗洗手液。