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Home / Lifestyle

Covid 19 coronavirus: Dad's poor handwashing exposed in letter to Jacinda Ardern

NZ Herald
6 Mar, 2021 07:00 PM4 mins to read

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Kōrero tahi with Dr Ashley Bloomfield and MP Peeni Henare

One man's lax hygiene habits have been exposed to the world after his child wrote to the Prime Minister to tell her he was not "washing his hands properly".

Jacinda Ardern shared the letter from a young fan, saying she found it when she was going through her correspondence.

"Jacinda," the note began. "My dad is not washing his hands properly. He is not putting soap on his hands and rubbing for twenty seconds. I will work on this with him."

Ardern said she 'loved the offer of support' and the post quickly attracted comments from around the world.

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"Kids miss nothing and they will embarrass you," wrote one person.

"Consider yourself being officially told off and now the 'True Principal' knows," another joked.

Ardern shared the letter on Facebook. Photo / Supplied
Ardern shared the letter on Facebook. Photo / Supplied

On the back of Ardern's recent call for New Zealanders to instruct their family and colleagues to do better when they don't follow the rules, some saw the letter as proof that "even our kids have become narks".

"How you've influenced a generation of panic merchants," one comment read.

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"This is a very sad message. Think about the fear you placed in the minds of children. They will be scared of everything."

Many joked that the errant father would be sure to up his game and some hinted he may have more to work on.

"That kid's mum is sitting there like 'Now tell her about leaving his wet towel on the floor'," one user quipped.

The release of the sweet note comes after a 12-year-old Irish schoolgirl was stunned by a reply to a personal letter she wrote to Ardern.

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The girl was given a school project during Ireland's first lockdown in 2020 which asked her to write a letter to a leader of choice.

In March 2020, the now 12-year-old decided to write to Jacinda Ardern.

This week, Ardern responded.

Her father Philip Bromwell, a journalist for Ireland's RTE website, took to Twitter to share Ardern's letter.

The letter, which is signed by Ardern, reads: "Thank you so much for your letter. I'm so sorry it has taken a while to get back to you, it's been a busy few months unfortunately.

"I appreciate you taking the time to write – your kind words meant a lot and they really brightened up my day.

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"I hope you and your family are staying safe in Ireland, please pass on my best wishes to them."

During the first lockdown last spring, our then 11-year-old had to write a letter to a leader for school. She chose @jacindaardern . Well, after “a busy few months” (!) for the NZ PM, Lily was delighted to get a personal reply! Great at leading, lockdowns & letters 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/E7WrRWBuNY

— Philip Bromwell (@philipbromwell) March 3, 2021

It was also personally signed with a pen, with the PM adding "thanks again, Lily!".

Bromwell said Lily was "delighted" at the reply.

In case you're wondering if you are washing your hands correctly, The Ministry of Health recommends that you:

• Wet your hands under clean running water. Use warm water if available.
• Put soap on your hands and wash for 20 seconds. Liquid soap is best.
• Rub hands together until the soap makes bubbles.
• Rub on both sides of both hands ...
• and in between fingers and thumbs ...
• and round and round both hands.
• Rinse all the soap off under clean running water. Use warm water if available.
• Dry your hands all over for 20 seconds. Using a paper towel is best (or, if at home, a clean dry towel).

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