When it comes to hygiene, the coronavirus ushered in a new era. Wearing face masks, bumping fists or elbows instead of shaking hands and diligently disinfecting surfaces, but as cases drop and restrictions are relaxed in many parts of the world, can we safely give up all our new hygiene habits like face masks and hand gel?
Infection rates are falling in many places, bringing down compulsory masking in retail shops and raising hope that the pandemic is nearing mere endemic status. So do we drop the hygiene routines we've become accustomed to?
"Not at all," says hygiene specialist Dr. Klaus-Dieter Zastrow.
Dr. Clemens Wendtner, who heads the Department of Oncology, Haematology, Immunology, Palliative Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at Schwabing Hospital in Munich, concurs, "A new code of proper hygiene will apply beyond the COVID-19 pandemic."
As Zastrow sees it, having a face mask at the ready when you leave home will continue to be the prudent thing to do. "It's advisable to put one on where there are a lot of people who perhaps stand side by side," such as on buses and trains, he said.
Wendtner predicts that mask-wearing will also become the "new normal" at heavily attended conferences, especially during the annual cold and flu season. They won't necessarily be FFP2 masks or their equivalents, such as KN95 masks, he said, but at least simple cloth face coverings, also known as "community" masks.
In hospitals, nursing homes and homes for the elderly, however, "FFP2 masks should be worn to protect patients and residents," Wendtner said. The masks should cover the noses and mouths of not only the medical staff, he adds, but visitors as well.
It's also a good idea to continue carrying a small bottle of hand sanitizer around with you, according to Zastrow. "If you travel by underground, for example, and hold on to a grab handle already touched by a lot of people, it's best to disinfect your hands after you disembark," he advised.
You should also disinfect your hands after touching door handles or armrests in an airplane, for instance, said Wendtner.
Zastrow recommends – post-COVID-19 too – rinsing your mouth and throat every three days with a disinfectant mouthwash, which he says will inactivate bacteria and viruses spread by talking, coughing, singing, etc. The mouthwash you may already be using is probably inadequate though, since "it should be a limited virucidal mucous membrane disinfectant."
Handwashing is a personal hygiene practice that was important even before the COVID-19 pandemic. "But basically you're only washing off dirt," Zastrow said, which is why he advises disinfecting your hands to kill viruses and bacteria.
"You still shouldn't neglect handwashing," remarked Wendtner, who said thoroughly washing your hands with soap and water is a must both before and after eating, and after using a toilet.
Keeping the now-familiar distance from the person immediately in front of, and behind you, in a queue also makes sense beyond the pandemic, he noted – and not just for hygienic reasons: "It's simple courtesy not to crowd the person next to you."
Regularly opening windows in places such as schools and open-plan offices has lowered the risk of infection with the novel coronavirus. "Impact ventilation (opening windows wide for several minutes to allow fresh air into a room and stale air to flow out) reduces the concentration of aerosols indoors, which is beneficial to health irrespective of COVID-19," said Wendtner, adding that it's easy and costs nothing.
The fist bump and elbow bump have largely replaced the handshake during the pandemic, and "from an infectiological standpoint," opines Wendtner, "it would be good if it stayed that way."
In many places, refusing to shake hands is regarded as discourteous though. So Zastrow suggests a solution, "You could compromise by shaking hands and then discreetly disinfecting them with hand sanitizer you carry with you."
What about a kiss on the cheek? "Ideally you should consider whom to do this with," Wendtner said – and if you're reluctant, then politely – but firmly – decline.
