“It’s human nature to want to touch your face,” said Dr. Otto Yang, an infectious diseases expert at UCLA. But it’s also quite a bad habit during a viral pandemic. Being mindful of your hands is the first crucial step in the process of stopping. Also, don’t get frustrated, it’s more difficult than it seems, experts say.
Los Angeles Times: Stop Touching Your Face. It’s An Easy Way To Spread Viruses
We all touch our face. With this new coronavirus outbreak, how do we stop? Touching our faces is a real health risk. So in this new world, not only is nose picking thought to be gross, but so is nose scratching, mouth touching and eye rubbing. All it takes is just one virus to hitch a ride on a contaminated finger and slip into the body through a nostril or a wet part of the face. (Lin, 3/4)
Politico: ‘I Miss It’: Trump Jokes About The Struggle Of Not Touching His Face
That itching urge to touch your face every few seconds? President Donald Trump is struggling with it too. In a meeting with airline CEOs amid coronavirus sprawling across the globe, White House coronavirus response coordinator Deboroah Birx talked about the importance of washing one’s hands and face as a preventative measure. (Ward, 3/4)
NBC News: Try Not To Touch Your Face. Also, Try Not To Think About Touching Your Face.
“Realizing basically all I do is touch my face,” tweeted actor Seth Rogen. “Did not realize how often I touch my face until the CDC explicitly told me not to touch my face,” tweeted author Allison Raskin. On social media, scores of people have lamented their fears that their inability to stop touching their faces will cause them to catch the new coronavirus. The anxiety surrounding face touching is just one way stress over the coronavirus has manifested in the general population. (Rosenblatt, 3/5)
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