COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak: Guidance for Hand Hygiene for Healthcare Providers to Ensure a Safe and Healthy Environment

Dispense soap. Then rub your hands together for 20 seconds, making sure to cover your fingers, fingertips, backs of hands, palms, and wrists. For proper handwashing, this step should take no less than 20 seconds.

When finished, rinse your hands with running water, and dry them with paper towels. Turn off the water, avoiding contact with the faucet by using a paper towel. Then dispose of the paper towel in the trash.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers should use an alcohol-based hand rub containing 60–95% alcohol as the preferred method for hand hygiene when hands are not visibly dirty.

This approach ensures rapid disinfection and better compliance. Solutions containing more than 95% alcohol are not recommended, as they may evaporate too quickly to kill germs effectively.