Use of Gloves During the Pandemic

Since the money circulating from hand to hand is likely to carry viruses, it is thought that the gloves worn by the cashiers who exchange money at the cash registers of markets may pose a risk if they are not changed frequently.

Although specialists do not recommend that people who are not sick or who are not in contact with patients, like healthcare workers, wear masks and gloves, citizens pay attention to the use of gloves and masks. Specialists, who say that the gloves used within the scope of coronavirus protection measures can play a role in the transmission of the virus, warn about the right use of the gloves. Pointing out that the use of gloves should not prevent and suppress hand cleaning in any way, Yeditepe University Hospitals  Medical Microbiology Specialist Prof. Dr. Aynur Eren Topkaya stated, “Gloves can be considered as a barrier against viruses. However, the important point is to wash our hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds when we touch general surfaces or whenever we suspect, and if it is not possible to wash them, clean them with cologne or disinfectant containing 70 percent alcohol.

Anyone Walking On The Street Need Not Wear It

Pointing out that carelessly discarding the glove after using it all day long can pose a risk in terms of both environmental pollution and Covid-19 disease, Prof. Dr. Aynur Eren Topkaya gave information about who should use gloves: We do not recommend that everyone walking on the streetwear gloves. There is no scientific evidence that such use prevents the transmission of coronavirus. In addition, using these gloves and touching them everywhere comfortably may cause the virus to be transmitted to the gloves from possible places. People then take off these gloves and throw them away if they cannot find a trash can. This increases the risk. However, especially in markets and places that prepare food, gloves should be used during this preparation and disposable gloves should be removed when the preparation is finished.

It Causes Virtual Confidence

Pointing out that the use of gloves creates a virtual sense of confidence, Prof. Dr. Topkaya said, “If the person with the gloves touches a contaminated place with the same glove and then touches a clean place, the clean place will also be contaminated with germs.”

Risk For Cashiers

Saying that food is prepared in places such as markets, greengrocers, butchers, and patisseries and the use of gloves is very important while packaging, Yeditepe University Hospitals  Medical Microbiology Specialist Prof. Dr. Aynur Eren Topkaya continued her words as follows: Persons working here should wash their hands with soap and water first if there is visible dirt before using gloves, and if there is no dirt, they should provide hygiene with hand disinfectant. Gloves should only be worn during food preparation. For example, it should be worn before preparing meat or weighing vegetables and fruits, and after the process is finished, it should be removed to provide hand hygiene again. 

After contact with food, the same gloves should not come into contact with other packaged products in any way, and money should not be exchanged at the cash register. The fact that the people working at the cash registers of markets carry on their transactions with the same gloves throughout the day may increase the risk of carrying germs from the previous money or credit card to the next during transactions. For this reason, it is necessary to avoid the use of the wrong gloves that will carry germs from one place to another, especially since a virus that causes an epidemic spreads rapidly these days.

Specialists point out that the cashiers wearing gloves in the markets is a practice that will increase the risk of virus transmission unless they change it after each customer, and they say that it would be more appropriate to put hand sanitizer in every cash register and disinfect the hands frequently.