We are all taking extra precautions these days to stay on the safe side and avoid contracting the novel coronavirus. But even though we are trying to limit our interactions with other people and spend as less time as possible in crowded, public areas, we still need to take the occasional trips to the supermarket, doctor’s office or pharmacy. This means we have to use our cars. “COVID-19 has created significant changes in our daily lives. Even simple things, like driving to the store, need to be done differently now than you did just a few months ago,” says Seema Sarin, MD, director of lifestyle medicine at EHE Health.
Opening the car door, adjusting the mirrors, buckling your seatbelt and touching the steering wheel might seem normal actions. But is there anything normal anymore amid the coronavirus pandemic? While you might see nothing wrong with touching things in your car, you might be making these seven dangerous mistakes that increase your risk of contracting SARS-COV-2.
You’re taking your face mask off
Wearing face masks outdoors has become as routine as wearing clothes, especially since the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) said they can help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. We know we have to wear them in public places but what happens when we are alone in the car? Can we take them off?
“When you get in your car, you are brining germs in and out of it from every place you’ve stepped into and from every surface you’ve touched,” says emergency physician Geoffrey Mount Varner, MD, MPH. And that includes your face mask. “If you can help it, keep your mask on in the car,” Varner says. “But if you must remove it before you get home, have a container to keep it in so that it does not touch your car’s interior.” For more mask related information, check out 4 Places Where You Should Not Be Wearing a Face Mask!
