AIBU to wonder if you still do these things with covid around?!

[Rainbowabacus1]

AIBU to wonder if you still do these things with covid and other viruses and bacteria about or if you’re more cautious these days.

Some examples:
-filling your car with petrol without wearing gloves to touch the handle of the pump.
-using a basket or trolley without wearing gloves/sanitizing first
-touching door handles and taps in public e.g. when using the toilet etc

Surely if someone is touching those things without precautions such as sanitization or gloves, their risk of catching something is higher than someone who is taking those extra precautions.

How long could germs live On those sorts If surfaces if they were not sanitized?

YABU: I don’t take any extra precautions
YANBU: I DO take extra precautions, you’d be mad not to

It's spread in the air, not by touch. So long as you're not touching things in public and then living your hands or eating with them, you're fine - just be sensible and anti-bac or wash your hands when you get the opportunity and before eating, as you likely would have pre-pandemic.

Personally this close to Christmas I would like to avoid getting it, so am not going anywhere that's unventilated. Only shops with open doors to the outside and not too far in. No pubs or restaurants, obvs. Takeaway coffee only. No friends' houses.

I am resigned to getting it and fully expect we'll have had it via my 3 year old before long, but avoiding unventilated spaces is much, much more useful than wearing gloves.

I've never done an of those things, I think we all know that covid isnt spreading by shopping trollies or petrol pumps

Like all the other millions of people who've worked throughout I suspect I live a pretty normal life with basic precautions as does pretty much everyone I know

Worrying about this type of thing seems confined to here as far as I can see

Always used gloves for petrol anyway, to stop it getting on my hands.
Used to wipe down trolley handles/seat when DS was a baby as he was prone to viral induced asthma. Usually did it in winter all the time if Noro was about.
Not keen on public toilets because dirty fuckers not washing hands, so used sparingly, opened doors with elbow if possible, had small plastic bag for handles. Learned that years ago from a First Aid trainer who branched out into public toilet hygiene 😄

*licking your hands!

Nope, have always washed my hands when getting home from being out so no change there. Did clean/sanitise religiously at the beginning but then read the formate transmission article and stopped bothering. Although my son has been doing Christmas work collecting the trolleys in Tesco and says we should wipe down the handles as those trolleys are filthy (still don't though...)

I don’t worry about those things. I caught covid from my primary age children 🤷‍♀️ 15/29 of the class off before Christmas and the teacher.

I take no extra precautions and have so avoided covid. I have however chosen to not participate in a lot of social events and I suspect t that’s the real reason I haven’t caught it.

I've worn gloves doing any of those things (or washed my hands after) and I'm not about to start now.

I wash my hands after using the toilet, after putting the bins out and before preparing food and that's it.

I don't use sanitiser as it dries out my hands and makes them crack and bleed.

I still use sanitizer and wear a mask etc. Wash for my hands for the recommended 20 seconds when I get home from being out.It does prevent covid to some extent. I don't wear gloves though but if someone else feels safer doing so then I don't see any issue.

@Justkeeppedaling Covid can survive for several hours on surfaces, so you can come into contact with it and contract this way. Using sanitizer and wiping handles helps to prevent this.

I have never done any of those things. It would not even cross my mind.

I occasionally use hand sanitiser (such as entering pin on pay pad) I avoid touching my face, and always wash hands when I come home- I always have done.

I'm no more concerned about catching Covid through service contact than I am any other virus. I hate the feel of gloves, so I very rarely ware them.

I don’t do these things but what I will say is how many people I’ve noticed don’t cover their mouth with their hands or arm
Or anything when they cough snd I’m tempted to start yelling like a crazy lady about it because it’s fucking rank

Most hand and surface sanitizers are anti-bacterial and not anti-viral. I never understood the obsession with hand sanitizer “because of COVID”.

I was in the vulnerable category and doing the whole sanitising, isolating post, washing groceries thing before research showed that the chances of getting Covid from surfaces is negligible. I stopped at once. Knowledge about the virus has moved on. Despite being ultra-cautious, I never used gloves and don’t understand how they would be protective in this case.

Agree with a pp that generally speaking ‘hygiene’ and the cult of cleanliness is OTT. If you can’t identify why what you’re doing is beneficial for your health it’s likely unnecessary.

I wear a mask, use hand sanitiser if it is in the doorway of a shop when I go in. I don't bother to wear gloves when buying fuel, I no longer sanitise shopping trolleys/baskets. I have had all 3 jabs and have not caught anything for the last 2 years whilst living the most normal life I am able to.

I've always done those things, there have always been viruses.

Gloves don't help if you touch your. face or anything afterwards. Also, they are very bad for. the envrionment.

Better is. to avoid. touching your. face and. washing. your. hands thoroughly afterwards. Apply hand sanistier if you can't use hot water and soap.

As the virus is. airborne a decent FFP2 mask is a lot better. than the fear to. touch. anything.

Fomite transmission has been widely debunked as a serious threat.

All that stuff is pointless.

The best things you can do are wear medical grade masks and open windows when inside.

It's funny how wrong we got it at the start.

Xand van Tulleken says Covid isn't easily transmissible on surfaces. I do sanitise when out.

Research has shown that infection from surfaces is very unlikely, it's airborne so coughing / shouting etc is the issue.

Incidentally I do all these things and haven't had Covid yet.

I rarely sanitise my hands, don't do any of these things and just wash my hands as I would normally - if dirty, after going to the loo etc.
I had covid very mildly, as I get most illnesses. I think there's a lot to be said for healthy exposure to things.

I said yanbu because i do some of those things but its not the pandemic that made me do them.

• i dont use gloves when getting petrol but i do use sanitiser afterwards however ive always done this.
• i sanitise the trolley before use but again have been doing this for awhile after my kids caught impetigo which i am fairly certain came from a trolley. I take antibacterial wipes and wipe it over.
• i sanitise my hands after ive touched door handles in public places if i cant use my elbow but again have been doing this for years.

I also wash my hands when coming into the house after being out the inly difference now is that we have a sanitiser pump by the front door because we ask anyone coming in to use it. DS is ECV so we are probably more cautious than most.

@BritWifeInUSA

Most hand and surface sanitizers are anti-bacterial and not anti-viral. I never understood the obsession with hand sanitizer “because of COVID”.

An alcohol content of over 60% breaks down the outer coating of coronaviruses as it evaporates, so it is of some use amongst other measures like hand washing.

@IgneousRock

Infection from surfaces is still a possibility though. I work in a school so if I do catch it from surfaces, it will be there. I'm not anal about using hand sanitizer everytime I touch a surface, but I will use sanitizer a few times a day while at work. Not saying that everyone should do this, but it makes me feel a bit better. Nothing that I can do about airborne particles other than wear a mask and check that windows are open.