Keeping it Clean

Protecting yourself while grocery shopping or running errands is perfectly normal.

Germs. now, a mask and gloves are just as common as a shopping cart for running errands.

These are good safety precautions, but it's all too easy to cross contaminate your food and personal items. our stephanie poole joins us live with a couple of tips about what you should out in public.

Protecting yourself while grocery shopping or running errands is perfectly normal.

However, the germs on your gloves can be easily transferred.

" i wear gloves and a mask to protect myself from others."

Meredith andrews, like many others, has a plan to keep germs away while shopping.

" i roll the gloves off and put them in a old walmart bag so i don't contaminate the stuff in my car as much as possible.

I left my purse, my phone, all i took in was my keys and debit card.

" andrews says she tries to use this routine each time she's out in town.

But sometimes it can be easy to forget those safe practices.

" i didn't change them but as i walked back to my car i said 'i do touch my door handle, do i take them off now or not, when do i get the wipes.

I think i'll take them off and then wipe of the door handles really quick."

Courtney nickels is a nurse practitioner for state urgent care in starkville.

She says glove use, removal, and disposal is a growing issue.

"they're putting them on, their going grocery shopping touching everything in the store.

They'll check their phone to see if they have any messages or phone calls.

Then they're getting back in their cars and touching everything they had in their cart."

Nickels says that's when you're at a higher risk of contacting covid- 19.

" it spreads like wildfire.

It's like putting gas on a fire.

If you have a pair of gloves on you want to make sure you are careful not to go underneath them with a dirty hand.

So you'll grab them like this to remove one and then go underneath with a clean finger to remove the other."

After you take gloves or a mask off, throw it away in the trash can and not in the parking lot.

"you gotta think about everybody, everyone is encouraged to follow the guidelines and change their gloves as often as possible to prevent the spread of covid-19.

Reporting in lowndes county, stephanie poole, wcbi news stinger