We’re in the middle of a global health crisis. With the rapid spread of coronavirus, people turned to protective gear like face masks and gloves to feel safer when they stepped out in public. However, healthcare workers across the globe have been reiterating the same medical advice over and over again like a broken record–don’t touch your face, and wash your hands frequently. This is because no matter what kind of protective gear you use, washing your hands is still the MOST effective way to avoid contracting the virus.
You would think that wearing gloves would prevent you from getting contaminated in case you come in contact with the virus. Well, think again. A nurse from Michigan, United States recently shared a video explaining how gloves can lead to cross-contamination, and how to use them correctly.
Molly Lixey, a former emergency room nurse in Saginaw, Michigan demonstrated to CNN just how quickly and easily germs can spread in grocery stores. She said that she noticed people being negligent while using gloves during her recent trip to a grocery store. In a video, she then went on to explain what cross-contamination meant with the creative use of paint. Watch her explain the concept in this video:
"This is called cross-contamination."
— ABC News (@ABC) April 6, 2020
A Michigan nurse used paint to show how easy it is to spread germs even while wearing gloves. https://t.co/h1DXaKEOUE pic.twitter.com/lnuLrHNA5F
In the video, Molly simulates going to the grocery store–she wears a pair of gloves, grabs her cell phone, sanitized a shopping cart and the picks up some toilet paper. She uses a piece of cardboard as her cell phone and dips her fingers in a plate of paint, to symbolize the germs on her hands as a result of grabbing toilet paper.
“But it’s (the germs) on my gloves, that’s fine right? It’s on my gloves,” she says. “But now I’m walking along and my phone rings, so I’ve now touched my hands together a couple times, I reach for my phone and oh I have a text message from my husband.”
Also Read: Don’t Fall For #FakeNews: Conspiracy Theories About Coronavirus You Shouldn’t Believe
She then continues walking through the grocery store, picking up more items along the way. She continues to dip her fingers in the paint, which symbolises all the extra germs on her gloves. She then picks up her ‘cell phone’ for a call, and the paint smears on her face. Even when she takes her gloves off, the paint remains on her face and her phone.
The lesson? “There’s no point in wearing gloves, if you’re not gonna wash your hands every time you touch something,” she says.
Well, you heard it from a medical professional herself. Stop panic-buying gloves in bulk, and start washing your hands!
Also Read: An Easy Guide To Grocery Shopping During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Featured Image: Pexels
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