Kristin Macfarlane: Covid 19 coronavirus has introduced positive habits

Kiwis have become more conscious of their own and others' hygiene practices. Photo / File

COMMENT:

We are officially in Covid-19 alert level 1!

Restrictions continue to ease more than 10 weeks after New Zealand went into lockdown and as we wake today, we return to, for the most part, our normal lives.

But one thing that has become habit since Covid-19 was thrust into our lives - and something I think we should retain well into the future - is how Kiwis have become more conscious of their own and others' hygiene practices.

As we enter stores, use Eftpos machines and before we leave a new place, we take advantage of the hand sanitisers and disinfectant wipes provided. We carry around travel-sized bottles of sanitiser, leave wipes in the glove boxes of our cars and wash our hands or use our at-home bottles of sanitisers as soon as we return home after being out and about.

And it only took a global pandemic for us to take our cleanliness seriously.

For some of us, myself included, the transformation wasn't massive - more an accelerated version of what we already practise.

Before Covid-19, I was often referred to as a bit of a paranoid germophobe by those who know me best. Once the seriousness of Covid was known, the mockery stopped slightly and many of them have joined the hand sanitisers in every bag, vehicle and work station team, to which I say welcome.

But as we return to a nearly normal existence, this is a Covid-19 habit I think we should hold on to.

Temperatures are cooler and we're heading into a change of season, with winter fast approaching. If hand sanitisers continue to be available in every business we enter, and we remain focusesed on our hygiene practices, surely that's got to have a positive impact on our overall health.

Could it even mean fewer colds and flu this winter?

For at least 10 weeks, keeping our hands clean and reducing the risk of becoming sick has become part of our everyday reality. It's a habit that has been thrust upon everyone, with no age limit, and we all understand its importance.

Let's not break a habit that's worth keeping.