WATCH: US teacher demonstrates the importance of washing your hands

A pre-school teacher from the US recently created a video clip with her class to demonstrate the importance of washing your hands.

Amanda Lorenzo’s viral clip shows a child dipping their finger into water with pepper in it. The pepper represents virus-causing germs.

Lorenzo asks the child if any pepper flakes moved, to which they answered no, and if there was any pepper on their finger, which they said there was.

The child then dips their finger into a clean dish and covers it with soap. Lorenzo gets the child to put their soap-covered finger back into the dish with pepper in it, and the pepper moves away from the soap.

The class gasp as Lorenzo explains how important it is to wash your hands.

Simple hygiene practices such as washing your hands and practising social distancing can greatly slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends washing your hands regularly and thoroughly with an alcohol-based hand sanitiser or washing them properly with soap and water.

Alcohol-based sanitisers kill any bacteria that could be on your hands.

Wearing rubber gloves is not as effective as regular hand washing, the WHO advises.

Hands must be washed before, during and after preparing food, after eating food, after being in contact with a sick person, after using the toilet, and after handling animals or animal waste.

WHO recommends keeping a distance of at least one metre between yourself and anyone who is coughing and/or sneezing.

Coughing and sneezing sprays small liquid droplets from a sick person’s mouth or nose, which may contain germs that easily spread the coronavirus, as well as other sicknesses.

As difficult as it is, people must avoid touching their eyes, noses and mouths, which are easy entry points for the virus to enter one’s body.

If you have the urge to sneeze, do so by covering your nose and mouth with a bent elbow, or clean tissues. If tissues are used, they must be disposed of immediately afterwards.

When greeting people, refrain from shaking hands.

No spitting in public, which is unhygienic even without a Covid-19 outbreak.

Those exhibiting symptoms or have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus must contact the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) helpline on 0800 029 999, where advice on where to go for testing will be provided.

It is important to note that you call ahead before visiting your local GP or any healthcare facility to get tested. If you fail to do this, you put the lives of other, potentially vulnerable members of society at risk.

Consider self-isolating immediately if any of the following symptoms are experienced:

• Coughing and a sore throat;
• Shortness of breath;
• Fever of above 38°C;
• Contact with any coronavirus patient that has tested positive;
• Travelled out of the country recently.

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