Coronavirus has raised its ugly head all around the world and the number of confirmed cases is spiking drastically creating widespread panic. So dire is the situation that even toilet papers and hand sanitizes are flying off the shelves in the US and stocks are unavailable on e-commerce websites too. The pandemic has forced people to wash their hands regularly. It now emerges that even your wedding ring, watch and other accessories might harbour the virus.
Should you wear your wedding ring and watch amid coronavirus scare?
After the coronavirus outbreak, health officials across the world have issued guidelines on washing hands, but wearing a ring or watch has not been addressed. Rochelle Walensky, the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital has revealed that it is necessary to limit wearing them as the objects can carry the virus to your body.
''In a situation where we are in extraordinary measures to limit COVID-19 transmission, I think removal of rings/jewelry when washing hands – or perhaps limiting their wear altogether right now – represents a wise move forward,'' she told USA Today. Walensky said past studies have shown that viruses can stay and live under rings and watches, and can lead to transmission.
Surgeons remove all rings and accessories before they operate on a body
Nikita Desai, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic, put it in plain and simple words that surgeons remove their rings, watch and other accessories before they begin their surgery as there are high chances of germs spreading to the patient in the operation theatre and people must follow the same procedure to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
''When healthcare professionals prepare for sterile procedures such as surgery, hands must be washed free from rings, watches and jewelry. While we are not expecting the general public to be prepared for conducting surgery, it greatly reduces the risk of spreading disease to have everyone's hands as clean as possible. The virus lives outside the human body, and uses inactive objects to continue to spread,'' she told USA Today.
