Most polled still observing good hand hygiene amid pandemic

It has dragged on for more than a year. But despite the nation's weariness with the pandemic, Singaporeans at least appear to still be washing their hands properly.

Of 53 people surveyed by The Straits Times yesterday, around three-quarters said that they had developed better hygiene habits over the past 12 months.

Their main reasons included the impact of public health campaigns and the fear of contracting Covid-19. Almost all the respondents washed their hands more than three times a day, and had made a habit of doing so before meals and after returning home.

Madam Chua Yan Fang, 63, who works in merchandising, ensures that she keeps sanitiser on hand in case her hands get dirty throughout the day. "Especially at my age, I have children and grandchildren who visit me every week, so I must take care of myself and think about them too," she said.

Most respondents also agreed hand washing with soap was still the "gold standard" for hygiene. A nurse who wanted to be known only as Ms Magdelene, said she had been following the seven steps of hand washing religiously for the past 35 years in her profession. "I have a bedridden mother, and I won't attend to her until I've washed my hands... We must make it an everyday thing, regardless of the pandemic," she said.

Of the 53 surveyed, 19 supplement their hand-washing regime with sanitiser for good measure, while 17 will sanitise their hands if it is inconvenient to wash them.

Professor William Chen, director of Nanyang Technological University's Food Science and Technology programme, said it is a good practice to wash hands after touching any kind of surface, even if it appears to be clean. "Try to keep your hands dry after washing, as microbes grow better in a wet environment," he said. To avoid cross-contamination, avoid touching the face even after hand washing, he added.

However, some respondents admitted they have become more lax with personal hygiene, and wash their hands less frequently due to the dwindling number of virus cases in the community.

Student Olivia Lee, 19, said that she finds herself washing her hands a little less frequently than before, though she still ensures that she does so with soap before meals and whenever she returns home from a public place.

Local pharmacy chain Guardian said it has seen a "steady demand" for hand sanitisers and hand-washing products, though current demand has been slightly lower compared with April last year.

Mr James McCoy, commercial and operations director at Guardian Health and Beauty, Singapore, said he expects that the demand will be sustained throughout the year with many returning to offices, as there will be more frequent commuting and dining out.

Professor Paulin Straughan, a sociologist at Singapore Management University, said the "perceived seriousness" of the pandemic has made the public more cautious about keeping themselves safe. "Hand washing is one easy way of doing so, and it gives us a sense of control as we are doing something proactively to keep Covid-19 at bay," she said.

However, she noted that some have continued to litter and spit despite advisories to keep public spaces clean. "So perhaps we're deciding which norms to adhere to - hand washing protects ourselves, while spitting in public places affects others," she said.

Asked if such good hand hygiene habits are likely to persist even after the pandemic, Associate Professor Leong Chan-Hoong, from the Singapore University of Social Sciences' Centre for Applied Research, said: "Washing our hands frequently makes us feel clean and comfortable, which is a positive reinforcement that many of us will continue to retain, making it (a habit) that sticks over time."