Are you washing your hands right? WHO launches #SafeHands challenge

The World Health Organization has launched the #Safe Hands challenge to promote hand hygiene practices in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. The WHO recommended a simple 11-step hand-washing procedure, which would take 40-60 seconds.

New York:In a bid to promote hand hygiene in wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the World Health Organization has launched the #SafeHands challenge on social media.

The official Twitter account of WHO released a video, in which Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus can be seen exhibiting a simple 11-step routine to clean your hands.

"There are simple things we each must do to protect ourselves from #COVID19, including hand washing with soap and water or alcohol-based rub. WHO is launching the #SafeHands Challenge to promote the power of clean hands to fight #coronavirus. Join the challenge and share your hand washing video!" read the message accompanying the video.

A simple 11-step hand-washing routine

WHO also released a guidance on hand-washing and hand-rubbing. While the hand-washing routine would take 40-60 seconds, the hand-rubbing routine would take only 20-30 seconds, WHO said.

The health body also advised hand-washing only in the case of hands being visibly soiled. In other cases, only hand-rubbing would suffice, it said.

Steps to follow while rubbing your hands with alcohol-based solution

Earlier in the day, WHO said that Europe, not China, is now the epicentre of the world's coronavirus pandemic. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told in Geneva that more cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic.

He noted that 5,000 people have lost their lives, a tragic milestone. Over 1,35,000 people have been infected worldwide, the most in China, where over 3,000 patients have died and over 62,000 have already recovered.

Read:Europe now 'epicentre' of COVID-19 pandemic: WHO