Touching your face can significantly increase the risk of infection with flu or cold viruses and the new coronavirus. Your eyes and mouth are areas where viruses can easily enter your body. In one study 10 subjects were each observed alone in an office environment for 3 hours. Another study observed 26 medical students at a university in Australia to discover they touched their faces 23 times per hour. Even medical professionals, who should know better, were found to touch their faces an average of 19 times in 2 hours while being inconsistent about observing proper hand hygiene.
Experts say wearing gloves can help you break the habit of frequently touching your face. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the new coronavirus is transmitted from person to person, like many other respiratory infections. This includes by respiratory droplets produced when someone sneezes and inhaled into the lungs of others, and by touching a virus-contaminated surface and using that hand to touch your eyes or mouth.
While we can easily avoid being around someone who’s obviously sick, or take precautions against airborne viruses using a mask, avoiding the virus when it’s on a surface is almost impossible.
“When actively working, people will often shake their foot, play with their hair, or in these instances, touch their faces. It certainly helps to know when you are most vulnerable to such activities and try to stay aware, during the meeting, or phone call, or while engrossed in work,” said founder of Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, in Menlo Park, California.
