Global Handwashing Day – Wash Properly!

In the UK, on average 34.3 Million working days a year are lost to minor Illnesses – coughs, colds and gastrointestinal illness such as Norovirus. This year, we have all been affected by the pandemic, Covid-19.

Like any other virus or bacteria, our hands are a vehicle for infection. Transferring them from our hands to faces, noses and eyes. With masks now mandatory in many public places, we still need to ensure that we all wash our hands to ensure that Covid-19 is not spread via various touchpoints.

The good news is that viruses like Covid-19 can be, like most pathogens, easily removed from our hands by washing thoroughly:

• It’s important to wash your hands effectively with soap and water, it’s especially important when returning home, after using the toilet, before you eat or after blowing your nose.

• All our toilets across the trading groups are supplied with everything you need to help keep yourself healthy this Winter.

• Whilst hand gels can be a useful stop-gap, if you cannot wash your hands whilst out and about, they aren’t effective at cleaning your hands and can lead to a false sense of security.

This is how simple soap and water kills viruses and removes dirt and bacteria from your hands.

How to wash your hands well? – the picture shows the parts we all tend to miss!

1. Always wet both your hands with water before applying soap – you don’t rub shampoo into dry hair do you!

2. Apply a couple of pumps of soap and rub vigorously, taking 20 seconds to thoroughly scrub every surface. Singing happy birthday twice over, out loud (or in your head if you’re shy 😊) helps you make sure you wash for the right amount of time.

3. Rinse thoroughly with running water

4. Dry thoroughly to avoid getting sore hands.

Happy washing!