Coronavirus How to reduce risks

Even if it seems rude at first, refrain from shaking hands with each other. Avoid physical contact in general.

Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, especially before preparing food, before eating, or when you get home. Always wash your hands after using the toilet or if the hands are visibly dirty.  Learn here how to wash or disinfect your hands properly.

Pathogens can easily pass from the hands to the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and mouth. Avoid touching your face.

When coughing, “hand over mouth” is well intended, but in doing so you catapult a large number of viruses out of your body, which then stick to your hands. So do not cough into your hands, but rather into your sleeve or a tissue.

Throw used tissues immediately into the trash – preferably into a container with a garbage bag that you can close tightly and dispose of regularly. Then please wash your hands.

In closed rooms, the number of viruses in the air can increase dramatically.

Regularly ventilating a room (three to four times a day for ten minutes) counteracts this and thereby reduces the risk of infection.

It also improves the indoor climate and prevents the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose from drying out.

Keep the greatest possible distance from other people when coughing, at least 1 meter, to avoid breathing in droplets, which could include the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19, if the person is infected.

If you have a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, see a doctor as soon as possible. Important: call beforehand so that you are directed straight to the right health facility and thus avoiding to get in touch with too many people. Follow the directions of your local health authority.

Avoid sharing objects and touching surfaces in public spaces as it is known that the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 remains on surfaces⁴⁾. If you think an object may be infected, contaminated, clean it using a surface disinfectant followed by washing your hands.

The WHO recommends to wear a mask only when you are taking care of a person with suspected COVID-19 infection or when you are coughing or sneezing yourself. In this case the mask is to protect people around you. If you wear a mask, you should know how to use it.

Disinfect surfaces evenly and avoid droplets and aerosols while using the spray or a flip-top bottle to wet a wipe or use an already pre-soaked wipe rather than spray directly on the surface. In addition, the surface is disinfected evenly and you avoid droplets and aerosols which helps to avoid respiratory irritations. Don’t forget to observe the exposure times.

There is no way around it: When you go grocery shopping, you touch surfaces and items, including trolleys and baskets. Clean your hands with an alcohol based handrub when entering and leaving the store. Avoid in any case touching your face while you are shoppping and wash your hands thoroughly as soon as you arrive home. Wash purchased vegetables and fruits with water and disinfect the surface of other bought items. 

Cards and cash could transfer the virus to your hands. However, card payment probably poses a lower risk, as you hold your own card and do not have to touch other people. Contactless bank transfers are also a good way to reduce any risk.

Frequently touched surfaces such as lift buttons and door handles in public places present a higher risk. We recommend that you avoid touching such surfaces by opening doors with your elbows or with your shoulder or using the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. After visiting the public bathroom, wash your hands with soap and water for 40 to 60 seconds. Also consider flushing the toilet with the lid lowered to prevent dropplets from being inhaled or contaminating close surfaces.