Don't wear gloves shopping or out and about - HSE infection control experts warn

drunkmonkey

About time they called, it's a filthy practice and I'll go as far as saying if you don't see the checkout girl clean her hands before touching your items tell her to shove them. Gloves are no substitute for basic hygine.

HSE infection control experts said they are not recommending using gloves while doing shopping or when you are out and about.

If there are bugs on your gloves those bugs often end up on your hands when you take the gloves off and from there they can very easily end up in your mouth, nose and eyes.

Prof Martin Cormican, HSE lead on infection control and antibiotic use, said: ”A lot of people are using disposable gloves in everyday life. So, one of our key messages this year for hand hygiene day is that we do not recommend using gloves while doing your shopping or when you are out and about.

https://m.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/dont-wear-gloves-shopping-or-out-and-about-hse-infection-control-experts-warn-39179163.html

Fann Linn

drunkmonkey wrote: »

About time they called, it's a filthy practice and I'll go as far as saying if you don't see the checkout girl clean her hands before touching your items tell her to shove them. Gloves are no substitute for basic hygine.

HSE infection control experts said they are not recommending using gloves while doing shopping or when you are out and about.

If there are bugs on your gloves those bugs often end up on your hands when you take the gloves off and from there they can very easily end up in your mouth, nose and eyes.

Prof Martin Cormican, HSE lead on infection control and antibiotic use, said: ”A lot of people are using disposable gloves in everyday life. So, one of our key messages this year for hand hygiene day is that we do not recommend using gloves while doing your shopping or when you are out and about.

https://m.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/dont-wear-gloves-shopping-or-out-and-about-hse-infection-control-experts-warn-39179163.html

Same HSE that couldn't make a decision on wearing masks definitively.

ednwireland

last time at the supermarket people behind me wearing gloves and holding purses and car keys. bet they didnt disinfect them back at the car

topmanamillion

People's use of gloves is a complete joke.
I've yet to see anyone wearing them appropriately.

In shops, they're touching trolleys, shelves, counters and any other surface imaginable. Then invariably the phone comes out of their pocket, up to their face or they just touch their face directly with the glove.

Good handwashing technique is immeasurably more useful than gloves which are just giving people a false sense of security.
Wash your hands before going to the shop or other public areas.
A bottle of hand gel in the car. And wash the hands again when you get home.
Keep your dirty hand away from your face and hair.

Leave the phone in your pocket for essential use when out and about.
And give it a good wipe when you get home and any other time you think it might need one.

It's not rocket science.

TheChizler

Fianceé saw someone eating a packet of crisps with gloves outside Dunnes the other day...

Stark

Fann Linn wrote: »

Same HSE that couldn't make a decision on wearing masks definitively.

Yes but they're right in this case.

argolis

TheChizler wrote: »

Fianceé saw someone eating a packet of crisps with gloves outside Dunnes the other day...

Salt and covidegar flavour?

biko

Gloves are good, but they don't protect against stupid.

Imo, the best thing about them for general people is to make them realise to not touch their face/eyes/etc

drunkmonkey

Fann Linn wrote: »

Same HSE that couldn't make a decision on wearing masks definitively.

If they don't know how to use gloves you can take it they don't know how to use a mask properly either. Hence the HSE are slow to recommend due to the hightened risk of disease they can pose.

I have gloves and hand sanitizer with me any time I go out. If I'm going into a shop etc, I'll put on the gloves and clean them with the sanitizer before touching anything. The stay on my hands until I'm ready to dispose of them and wash my hands. I sanitise them regularly while wearing them. Once done with them, they are disposed of and my hands washed.

Ignacius

topmanamillion wrote: »

People's use of gloves is a complete joke.
I've yet to see anyone wearing them appropriately.

In shops, they're touching trolleys, shelves, counters and any other surface imaginable. Then invariably the phone comes out of their pocket, up to their face or they just touch their face directly with the glove.

Good handwashing technique is immeasurably more useful than gloves which are just giving people a false sense of security.
Wash your hands before going to the shop or other public areas.
A bottle of hand gel in the car. And wash the hands again when you get home.
Keep your dirty hand away from your face and hair.

Leave the phone in your pocket for essential use when out and about.
And give it a good wipe when you get home and any other time you think it might need one.

It's not rocket science.

If you put hand sanitizer on before and after putting the gloves on, what is the problem wearing them?
Just because some people are using them incorrectly does not mean everybody is.
I don’t use the phone unnecessarily. One thing i can say for sure is that I am way more likely not to touch my face with gloves on than without them.
Also I have not seen many places to wash your hands in the supermarkets so using them once a week might not be a terrible idea.
Nothing wrong with gloves if they are used right.

TheChizler

Deleted User wrote: »

I have gloves and hand sanitizer with me any time I go out. If I'm going into a shop etc, I'll put on the gloves and clean them with the sanitizer before touching anything. The stay on my hands until I'm ready to dispose of them and wash my hands. I sanitise them regularly while wearing them. Once done with them, they are disposed of and my hands washed.

Why wear gloves at all though if you're washing your hands anyway? It's not like you're a nurse going from patient to patient?

Stark

Virus sticks more easily to gloves than it does to skin. Leave the gloves at home and wash/sanitize your hands instead.

owlbethere

I use gloves but I use them in conjunction with handwashing and now sanitizers too because the shops have them on the wall at doors. I'm not using the gloves thinking I can get away without handwashing. Also before I used to take a big handbag out with me, I'm now limiting the amount of stuff I take out with me. I narrowed it down to a neck wallet/pouch with my card and that's it. In a pocket, I will have a clean nappy sack/bag with clean gloves. I know how to take my gloves off to keep them virus free, just in case I get any virus on my gloves.

A few weeks ago, I had an accident and my two hands became wounded with open wounds. Thankfully they weren't deep and I administered first aid cleaned dirt out of my hands. My hands were sore. I went through copious amounts of boxes of plasters because every time I washed my hands the plasters came off. I did my bit and I limited my time going out in public. I was glad to have gloves during that time and use them too when I went to a shop. The plasters never lasted long with the handwashing I was doing. I also have broken skin and cracks from all the handwashing I'm doing. I'm paranoid about wounds and skin cracks and I'm glad to have gloves to use. I didn't do a run on them by the way. I bought a large box in the pharmacy last year and I'm nearly coming to an end with them now.

Dymo

TheChizler wrote: »

Why wear gloves at all though if you're washing your hands anyway? It's not like you're a nurse going from patient to patient?

Because the virus can lodge on handles of trolleys, handrails or steel. If a person is wearing rubber gloves that creates a barrier that stops the virus can getting in contact with your skin.

rob316

Gloves only work if you change them regularly like they do in a medical setting. I see people opening the car door, handling there keys, phone, touching there face with the same gloves they just used shopping. Just sanitize or wash your hands.

TheChizler

Dymo wrote: »

Because the virus can lodge on handles of trolleys, handrails or steel. If a person is wearing rubber gloves that creates a barrier that stops the virus can getting in contact with your skin.

Ok, but unless you have an open wound why is that a problem if you're handwashing after?

Coralcoras

I’ve seen people rummage through their purses with gloved hands...really makes me wonder if people feel the virus gets through the skin layer. That, and thoughtlessness, are the only rational explanation.

RTÉ could do an advert whereby the virus is visually represented as red paint or something...touch your face/phone/purse..paint/virus on your face/phone/purse. Scratch your arse..big red patch there too as you walk away..fade scene

Harry Palmr

Yep I quickly realised that gloves were more likely to spread coronavirus than contain it.

Wash hands before leaving house, use santiser at shop, use santiser in car, wash hands after unbagging. If you have gloves make sure they are use once type and only use once.

Juwwi

drunkmonkey wrote: »

About time they called, it's a filthy practice and I'll go as far as saying if you don't see the checkout girl clean her hands before touching your items tell her to shove them /quote]

I've never seen a checkout girl use hand sanitizer yet but was thinking the same that they should be .

I saw the guy who collects the trolleys in Tesco car park light up a cigarette last week with his gloves on wheeling a trolley .

Stark

Dymo wrote: »

Because the virus can lodge on handles of trolleys, handrails or steel. If a person is wearing rubber gloves that creates a barrier that stops the virus can getting in contact with your skin.

Your skin is a barrier. The virus gets in through mucus membranes (eyes, nose, mouth). Gloves or no gloves, the key is not touching your face until you've washed.

jackofalltrades

Hence the HSE are slow to recommend due to the hightened risk of disease they can pose.

The HSE are slow to recommend masks because it will make them look even more incompetent and irrelevant.
The CMO has already floated the idea of masks being used when restrictions are eased.
They'll slowly do a U-turn on the matter while repeating the "worries about supplies for frontline workers" mantra.

billyhead

TheChizler wrote: »

Why wear gloves at all though if you're washing your hands anyway? It's not like you're a nurse going from patient to patient?

I need to wear gloves no matter what. The stuff that is used in stores is made from bleach and as a sufferer of dermatitis my hands react badly and flare up.

TheChizler

billyhead wrote: »

I need to wear gloves no matter what. The stuff that is used in stores is made from bleach and as a sufferer of dermatitis my hands react badly and flare up.

You sure it's not just alcohol? I doubt stores are using bleach as hand sanitiser. Trolley cleaner sure. Fair enough if you can't sanitise your hands directly or have cuts as another poster said, but there can't be too many people that have that reason.

screamer

I wear gloves but I use hand sanitizer on my hands and on the gloves when I’m back at the car. I wrap my phone in cling film and take it off when I get home and bank cards, keys etc get a dose of hand sanitizer. Not everyone is a ****ing idiot in this country, but our government think we are, hence our nanny state is alive and well.

TheChizler

TheChizler wrote: »

Why wear gloves at all though if you're washing your hands anyway?

I wear gloves until such time as I can wash my hands, at which point I dispose of the gloves. Sorry, I thought that was clear as I stated it twice

Ignacius

rob316 wrote: »

Gloves only work if you change them regularly like they do in a medical setting. I see people opening the car door, handling there keys, phone, touching there face with the same gloves they just used shopping. Just sanitize or wash your hands.

This is again talking about people using them incorrectly.

Some people hurt themselves cutting avocados. Does that mean we should ban cutting avocados?
I saw a guy put a knife in his mouth having his dinner today so should knives should be banned too?
Just because some people are using single use gloves incorrectly does not mean everybody else should be vilified for using them.

Wibbs

He's right about gloves to a large degree, but

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Prof Martin Cormican, HSE lead on infection control and antibiotic use, said:

the same Cormican also stated with great confidence in early March that asymptomatic spread from a covid contact you were living with was of very low risk and you should go about your life as normally as possible nearly a month after the WHO flagged it as an infection route and both medical journals and mainstream media had reported specific cases. If that yahoo told me the sky was blue I'd look out a window to confirm.

Away With The Fairies

Who is advising the government? Their 23 page document on easing restrictions in phases and for old people
-designated hours in shops and provide gloves and wear face coverings
-for visiting them in their homes, wear gloves, face coverings and maintain a 2m distance

Like seriously I know gloves are useless and here's the HSE infection control saying it... So who the hell wrote that 23 page document... I thought they would at least get advice from the experts but clearly not.

shaveAbullock

TheChizler wrote: »

You sure it's not just alcohol? I doubt stores are using bleach as hand sanitiser. Trolley cleaner sure. Fair enough if you can't sanitise your hands directly or have cuts as another poster said, but there can't be too many people that have that reason.

I'm sure it is alcohol as there is a very distinct smell of alcohol from it.
Alcohol will make your hands very dry, so for some skin conditions it could be harmful.

Probably best to use it anyway though and mosturise your hands when you return home.

johnnyskeleton

TheChizler wrote: »

Why wear gloves at all though if you're washing your hands anyway? It's not like you're a nurse going from patient to patient?

Repeatedly washing your hands with disinfectant can be bad for the skin.

Also, for some people, wearing the gloves acts as a physical reminder to be careful not to touch things.