CDC highlights 15 surfaces to avoid touching with unwashed hands

• With the coronavirus still a serious threat, practicing good hygiene remains as important as ever.
• In an effort to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, the CDC has listed a number of surfaces that people with unwashed hands should avoid touching.
• Disregarding coronavirus safety guidelines is risky and can lead to community outbreaks. Recently, a woman in South Korea who didn’t wear a mask at a local Starbucks infected 56 others.

Even though the daily number of new coronavirus cases has started to subside in many areas across the country, the overall U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic has been shockingly ineffective. While many countries that saw a huge spike in coronavirus cases earlier in the year are already returning to a life of normalcy, the U.S. is still dealing with thousands of new coronavirus cases every single day. And with schools opening back up, there’s a very real fear that a huge increase in coronavirus cases is right around the corner.

In the interim, it’s as important as ever for people to adhere to basic coronavirus safety guidelines such as social distancing, mask-wearing, and proper hand hygiene. To the latter point, the CDC has identified 15 things people should avoid touching with unwashed hands. Most of the items on the list should fall under the ‘common sense’ category, but there are still a few things that might come as a surprise to some.

The CDC’s list of surfaces to avoid touching with unwashed (via MSN) reads as follows:

1. Public door handles
2. Uncooked food
3. Served food
4. Garbage cans
5. Library books or electronics
6. ATMs
7. Public pools
8. Nail salon workers
9. Public transportation
10. Elevator buttons
11. Car doors
12. Dirty laundry
13. Some who has tested positive for the coronavirus
14. Used gloves
15. Your face mask

Aside from surfaces to avoid, there are also a few activities people should make a point of avoiding while the coronavirus rages on. Earlier in the week, an infectious disease expert listed 5 activities people should not partake in.

The list reads as follows:

1. Cruises
2. Large indoor gatherings
3. Dinner at a friend’s house
4. Theaters
5. Public transportation

Other activities that should be avoided in the interest of personal and public safety include air travel, going to bars and restaurants, and going to the gym.

Looking ahead, the U.S. is fast approaching a critical time in the fight against the coronavirus. Dr. Anthony Fauci is on the record saying that the U.S. will be in a world of trouble if we can’t keep the daily number of new coronavirus cases down below 10,000 before fall. Note that fall marks a critical juncture as the accompanying cold weather — along with the arrival of flu season — could prove to be a breeding ground for new coronavirus cases.

“You look at our numbers now,” Fauci said earlier this month, “we’re right in the middle of the first wave here. We’re having a surging of cases. The last ones with 50-60,000 per day with 1,000 deaths per day. We’ve got to get those numbers down. And if we don’t get them down, then we’re going to have a really bad situation in the fall. Because as you get indoors and you get the complication of influenza, that’s something we’re going to have to deal with.”