Essential Hygiene Practices

Essential ways you can slow down or reduce the spread of infections include:

• Frequently wash hands and use a hand sanitiser inbetween
• Stay home if you are sick (so you do not spread the illness to other people) and see your GP
• Turn away from others if you cough and sneeze and use a tissue or your arm, not your hand
• Use single-use tissues and dispose of the tissue immediately
• Wash your hands immediately after coughing, sneezing or using tissues
• Use an essential oil diffuser to combat germs
• Use an antiseptic surface spray on frequent touch surfaces including phones, keyboards, taps, door handles
• If working with children, have them play with hard surface toys that can be easily cleaned
• Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth (viruses can transfer from your hands and into the body)
• Do not share cups, glasses, dishes or cutlery

An infection control plan in your workplace needs to include:

• The provision of clean hand washing facilities
• Offering alcohol-based hand sanitizers when regular facilities are not available (or to people on the road)
• Providing and encouraging the use of tissues
• Do not share cups, glasses, dishes and cutlery. Dishes need to be washed in soap and water after use
• Removing magazines and papers from waiting areas or common rooms (e.g. tea rooms and kitchens)
• Cleaning your workstation or other areas where a person is suspected or identified with an infection
• Making sure ventilation systems work properly

Special handling of linen or waste contaminated with secretions from persons thought to be or who are sick is also required.

Social distancing is a key factor to reduce the spread of infection and applies to crowded places, large gatherings or having close contact with a group of people. In these situations, viruses can easily spread from person to person. A distance of one to two metres will slow the spread of a disease, with more distance being more effective.