Hand washing or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after touching shopping carts, gas pumps, automated teller machines, and other frequently touched surfaces is a key strategy the CDC recommends to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Yet a pair of surveys in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found serious gaps in hand hygiene practices by race, age, and sex.
An internet survey conducted in late June included about 4800 US adults who said they had been out in public during the previous week. Overall, 85% of the participants said they always or often washed their hands or used hand sanitizer after coming in contact with high-touch surfaces in public places.