These Small Everyday Activities Put You at COVID-19 Risk

By Dana Cruz Aug 23 2020, 04:39 AM EDT

Everyday activities are a thing of routine. They're also the kinds of things that you had to think through when COVID-19 risks became a concern for many.

COVID-19 risks are everywhere, and it can be a big help if you know which everyday activities are most important to avoid.

To make sure you lessen COVID-19 risks that you encounter in your day-to-day life, here are some everyday activities that you have to avoid:

Not Washing Hands for 20 Seconds

As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stressed, you have to make sure you washed your hands thoroughly with soap and water. If you don't have soap, use a safe kind of hand sanitizer.

You have to do this when your hands are visibly soiled, before eating, and after using the restroom.

But it doesn't end with the "how" and "when". You also have to remember the "how long".

Washing hands has been a common mantra amid the pandemic, but sometimes we forget how long we have to do such a common everyday activity.

Most people "skimp on the time," medical advisor Leann Poston, MD told Best Life.

Shaking Out Dirty Laundry

CDC also warned about shaking out your dirty laundry. They said doing so could disperse virus particles into the air.

Poston said this is a very unlikely way of getting COVID-19, so it isn't very likely you'll get it from forgetting once or twice. It still pays to remember, though.

If you don't use gloves when doing your laundry, make sure you also wash your hands after touching dirty clothes.

Taking Your Phone to the Grocery

Public health expert Carol Winner told GiveSpace that taking your phone to a store and actively using it can pose COVID-19 risks.

Winner said it poses "risk in cross-contamination when bringing [the phone] home."

But Poston said the real issue with brining phones to the store is dirty hands. If your hands are dirty or you held on to high-touch surfaces, you'll need to sanitize first before holding your phone.

In fact, any other everyday activities you do outside where you bring your phone with you can raise COVID-19 risks if you don't wash your hands enough.

Staying in Public Spaces

Of course, you have to stay inside your home. But gathering with other people in public spaces is a whole different thing.

Any indoor space that is poorly ventilated can be dangerous. You name it: a bar, a restaurant, or even a small shop.

You have to avoid staying in places where it will be impossible to wear a mask, like bars, because socializing will put you and the people you meet at risk.