Hand cleaning

As with all infectious diseases through history, hand washing and hygiene are the mainstays of limiting outbreaks. You should wash your hands frequently and for at least 20 seconds. Soap and water are perfectly adequate. When this is not practical, using hand gel with at least 70% alcohol is an alternative. In particular, you should clean your hands when:

• Entering buildings, including your room
• Before/after handling face coverings
• After you blow your nose or cough or sneeze on your hands
• Before handling/eating food and after coming into contact with surfaces, particularly in communal areas

Further information on washing your hands effectively is available at Stay Safe Cambridge Uni - Regularly clean your hands.

Since the virus may survive on hard surfaces for some time, you should clean surfaces regularly, particularly if they have been used by others.