According to guidelines released by the Center for Disease Control, haspeoplemakingmemesabouthowthey one of the most effective ways to protect yourself against the novel coronavirus is to avoid touching your face. This is incredibly useful advice — you shouldn't be touching your face anyway — but it's also making people realize just how much they're scratching their noses and grazing their mouths unconsciously.
The average person touches their face 23 times per hour. Per hour! When you realize you've been doing that for a lifetime, it can be pretty jarring, especially if you know it's best to break the habit. And what do extremely online people do when they're trying to change something about their lives? Tweet about it.
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Of course, keeping your paws off your face is only one recommendation. There are a number of easy, free precautions you can take to protect yourself, like washing your hands frequently and keeping your devices and work surfaces clean.
There's still a lot of coronavirus misinformation out there, though. Take a look at the World Health Organization's myth busting page if you're unsure whether you've received good information.
And if you're in the United States, there's no need to panic. Dr. Purvi Parikh, a clinical assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases and immunology at NYU Langone Health, told Mashable's Natasha Piñon on Thursday that while "it's good to take precautions," US residents shouldn't freak out just yet.
That doesn't mean you can touch your face, though. Yes, you!