Washing Feet Is Equally Important To Keep COVID-19 At Bay
Coronavirus is spreading like a wildfire. The sooner we contain it the safer we are. The precautions given by the authorities may seem generic and simple, but they are highly effective, so abide by these measures to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
The lockdown and the social distancing practice require all of us to stay indoors, but we do need to step out to buy groceries and other necessities. We wear our masks, make sure we don’t touch anything unnecessarily when we are out and after getting back home we wash our hands thoroughly, as suggested by the officials, and only then interact with our families. But is that enough? Are the hands the only source of contact? The answer is - no!
As much as our hands are exposed to the environment, so are our feet. You set out wearing sandals that expose your feet, and forget to wash them once you return. You must understand, that the virus is heavy and has a chance of falling and sticking to your feet if any infected person around you coughs or sneezes. Indians also tend to spit on the road, and if you step on it you can bring any infection with you. Therefore it is important to wash your hands as well as your feet.
My recommendation is to wash your feet before entering the house itself, but for those for whom this isn’t an option, you must enter your bathroom as soon as you get back home, then clean and disinfect the floor as well. Cleaning the floor is essential because if your feet, by any chance, are contaminated, the viruses stick to the floor and linger there for a while. At some point, you will be touching the floor. Say you are bored of sitting on the couch and decide to sit on the floor, or something falls and you pick it up. All these things increase the chances of you getting infected and all your previous precautionary measures go down the drain. Cleaning the floor becomes more important if you have kids in the house as they crawl and play on the floor. They often touch the ground and put their hands in their mouth, or the toys.
The ideal way of washing your feet is with hot water and soap. It’s simple and quick if you have a geyser, but if boiling water now and then is difficult, wash your feet thoroughly with water and soap. Keep only one pair of shoes for outdoor use and leave that pair outside the door. Do not, under any circumstances, bring it inside your home. Use the easy slip-on type of footwear that reduces your need to touch the footwear. If it’s a slip-on that exposes your feet minimally, it is the ideal and highly recommended type.
Dr Prashanth R Reddy,
Consultant ENT & Endoscopic Skull Base Surgeon, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author. They do not reflect the opinions or views of the organisation.
