Danger in the details

Why are they still forcing hand sanitising?

“Surface transmission, although possible, is not thought to be a significant risk” (Nature). We’ve know this for a long time.

I’ll dispute the headline’s use of the word “rarely”. It is less common than that.

But for years we’ve been told that constantly washing and santising our hands prevents the natural build-up of immunity that we need. Long term, we’re better off getting the occasional bug.

“I’m a sound believer that we’re too clean of a society,” says Dr. Christopher Carpenter, section head of infectious diseases and international medicine at Beaumont Hospital in Michigan. “Our fear of germs has pushed us too far into trying to keep everything safe and sterile. That extreme is harming us more than it’s helping us.”

Add up these to points above, and the irresistible question is, why the hell are we still forced to sanitise our hands before entering a restaurant? It doesn’t stop Covid. It has at least some drawbacks to our general immunity.

Add to this the fact that anyone who wants to is free to sanitise. This seems a highly effective way of preventing even the miniscule risk of getting Covid from a surface - even where a wicked free thinker has been without sanitising.

Why is washing and sanitising unquestioningly followed, chanted, demanded?