What is social distancing? To practice social or physical distancing, stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people who are not from your household in both indoor and outdoor spaces.Social distancing, also called “physical distancing,” means keeping a safe space between yourself and other people who are not from your household. Social distancing should be practiced in combination with other everyday preventive actions to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks , avoiding touching your face with unwashed hands, and frequently washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Why practice social distancing? COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period. Spread happens when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, and droplets from their mouth or nose are launched into the air and land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The droplets can also be inhaled into the lungs.
To prevent the spread of germs, including COVID-19, CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water whenever possible because it reduces the amount of many types of germs and chemicals on hands. But if soap and water are not readily available, using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can help you avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Overview Choose hand sanitizers that contain at least 60% alcohol. Avoid alcohol-based hand sanitizers that are not approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) external icon . Properly apply alcohol-based sanitizer by rubbing the gel over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. Swallowing alcohol-based hand sanitizers can cause alcohol poisoning. Keep them out of reach of young children and supervise their use. How to Select Alcohol-based hand sanitizers come in all shapes and sizes with different ingredients. Which alcohol-based hand sanitizer do you choose? Check the product label and follow these do’s