Personal Hygiene
Local, state, and federal guidelines will inform College operations on campus. All members of the campus community should be familiar with COVID-19 information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including:
To reduce the spread of COVID-19, the CDC advises regular hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
Washing your hands
- Washing your hands is easy and one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The CDC provides recommendations about hand washing and using hand sanitizer in community settings.
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- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- It is especially important to wash your hands:
- Before eating or preparing food
- Before touching your face
- After using the restroom
- After leaving a public place
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- After handling your cloth face covering
- After changing a diaper
- After caring for someone sick
- After touching animals or pets, and their food or waste
- After touching an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people (door handles, tables, gas pumps, shopping carts, electronic screens)
- When washing your hands, follow these five steps:
- Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
- Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
Use Hand Sanitizer When You Cannot Use Soap
- You can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.
- Sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in many situations. However:
- Sanitizers do not get rid of all types of germs.
- Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
- How to use hand sanitizer:
- Apply the product to the palm of one hand.
- Rub your hands together.
- Rub the product all over the surfaces of your hands and fingers until dry. This should take around 20 seconds.
*Note: There are important differences between washing hands with soap and water and using hand sanitizer. Further, according to the CDC, hand sanitizers containing methanol can cause serious health problems. Please refer to the CDC’s website for more information.