“To have clean hands” is an old-school idiom that means innocence: to be free from wrongdoing or guilt.
It’s a useful expression to bear in mind these days.
So far, the best defenses against the new coronavirus from Wuhan are proper hygiene and common sense. A major part of that is simply this: Clean hands. (Also, avoid touching your face, especially if your hands aren’t clean.)
We’ll issue reminders like this from time to time, in compliance with Department of Labor and Employment guidelines and in order to help everyone in the GO-VA tribe benefit from accurate, useful information.
It’s also wise to stay informed, especially about ways we can protect ourselves and loved ones from getting sick.
Choose your sources.
It might not be good for our mental health, however, if we obsessively track how fast the numbers are rising. Or keep watching videos on social media from unverified sources—especially if they’re not infectious disease specialists or public health authorities.
Here’s a video from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that’s actually useful:
And here are some helpful sources of information:
Department of Health
World Health Organization
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The peer-reviewed journal Nature
Focus on what you CAN do.
For your own protection and peace of mind, please remember that we can do plenty to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our colleagues from this new coronavirus.
If you’re feeling unwell, stay home and rest.
If you have a persistent fever and shortness of breath, see a doctor right away. A doctor visits our office 3 mornings every week. Please check the schedule posted on the lobby’s notice board.
There’s a lot scientists don’t know about this virus yet. What they have emphasized is that the number of those who have recovered is rising much faster than the number of those who have died.
And that keeping our body’s defense systems healthy—and our hands clean—will do a lot to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
