Keeping your home a coronavirus-free zone

Healthcare researcher Andrea Grimes said that with many people living, working, and learning at home, it can be easy to forget that outside our homes we need to behave more carefully.

“As kids go back to school, this may be the first time in weeks some households are exposed to the outside world,” she said.

Ms Grimes said the best way to keep our homes and families safe is to make sure that the outside world stays out.

“Clean your hands before you go inside your home,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what you have touched in the outside world, your hands will be clean when you enter your house.

“Washing your hands or sanitising your hands with an alcohol-based sanitiser is still the most important thing you can do to minimise the spread of COVID19.”

And for those worried about ensuring children understand, Ms Grimes said the best way to teach the importance of hygiene to children is to make it fun.

“There are plenty of great resources aimed at children to encourage them to keep their hands clean and also to keep their coughs and sneezes to themselves,” she said. “There are some useful videos available online using glitter to show how easily germs spread, and pepper to show how soap works.”

Ms Grimes and her colleague Vanessa Sparke are giving a free public webinar about protecting our homes and families against COVID-19 on Thursday 7 May at 7pm. Register online at https://www.jcu.edu.au/events/2020/april/covid-19-myth-busting-protecting-your-home-and-family