Why You Need A Cover Your Cough Sign

Not only is it respectful to others to cover your coughs, covering your cough helps reduce the spread of germs, including the highly contagious coronavirus (COVID-19). The flu and other illnesses can be spread through microscopic water droplets that are expelled from an infected person,

Besides washing your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, are some of the best ways to stop the spread of germs. 

However, one of the most effective and important ways to prevent the spread of germs is to cover your cough or sneeze. An uncovered sneeze or cough can send infected droplets up to six feet away and can remain airborne for a few hours. Additionally, the live virus can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that proper hygiene etiquette practices can help stop the spread of illnesses, including COVID-19. Let’s get started in looking at these proper hygiene etiquette practices. 

Having a Cough Doesn’t Mean You Have COVID-19.

The coronavirus has people second-guessing their springtime coughs and sneezes. This is because COVID-19 is at the forefront of everybody’s mind. But what about those who have the telltale signs (sudden sore throat, fever, or cough) but have a negative test for COVID-19?

The truth is that several respiratory viruses are around all the time, including the springtime. These viruses include rhinovirus, non-COVID-19 coronaviruses, parainfluenza, influenza, RSV, and allergies.

There’s also post-nasal drip that needs to be taken into consideration, too, because all of that mucus can cause coughing and sore throats. Additionally, some people could have asthma, which can be where their wheezing and shortness of breath come from.

Even when there’s no fever, coughing and breathing weird is enough to make anyone anxious.

Be Responsible, But Don’t Panic.

Keep six feet away from people when you’re in public and avoid going out in public on a regular basis. Make sure to wash your hands properly throughout the day and avoid touching your face. Finally, disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items because viruses can live on surfaces for days.

If you feel sick, you should stay home and avoid close contact with other people and make sure that you’re covering your coughs and sneezes.

How to Cover Your Cough

The main idea is to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Hence, the germs stay near your body and aren’t propelled across the room or into the air, which can ultimately make other people sick.

It’s not hard to cover your cough, but as simple as it is, there is a correct and incorrect way to do it.

Cover Your Cough Do’s

  • Use hand sanitizer
  • Wash your hands before touching doorknobs or other surfaces
  • Use a tissue to cough into
  • Cough into the crook of your elbow

Cover Your Cough Don’ts

  • Touch doorknobs or other surfaces after coughing into your hands
  • Cough on other people
  • Cough into your hands
  • Cough into the air

It’s also not advised to put your hand in front of your mouth to cover a cough because when this is done, the germs will be spread to everything that you touch, including surfaces such as doorknobs and remote controls, but also food that you serve or hands that you shake. In simple terms, your attempt to stop the spread of germs would be for nothing.

The CDC recommends that you cough into a tissue and then throw that tissue into the garbage. Then you should wash your hands with warm water and soap or use hand sanitizer. This is done to get rid of any germs that were transmitted from the tissue to your skin.

If you don’t have a tissue on your person, the next best option is to cough into the crook of your elbow. This is very simple but can take time to make it a habit. This practice is worth it because the practice dramatically decreases the odds of spreading germs.

Cover Your Sneeze

You must use good hygiene to cover your sneezes as well. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) used high-speed cameras to track the respiratory cloud of droplets expelled by sneezing. They found that the force of a sneeze has the potential to spread germs even farther than coughs.

Sneezes can cause respiratory droplets speeding through the air at a rate of 30-yeards per second. Large particles will typically drop out of the air in a few seconds but can still land as far as six feet away. However, smaller particles can stay in the air up to 24 hours and can travel as far as eight yards away.

When you cover your sneeze with a tissue or your elbow will significantly reduce the number of germs that can spread to objects and the people around you. Even though your sickness doesn’t seem bad to you, it could end up being more serious for someone else who catches your germs.

Wear a Face Mask

There are several instances when wearing a face mask to protect others from being exposed to your germs are best – for instance, if you’re going to the doctor and you can’t stop coughing. Medical offices provide disposable face masks for this reason; some will even mandate the use of them.

Use your face mask to cover your nose and mouth fully, making sure that there are no gaps between the mask and your face. Avoid touching the face mask while you’re wearing it; if you do, make sure to wash or disinfect your hands. If the mask gets damp, replace it. Avoid reusing disposable masks.

When taking the mask off, take it off from the back without touching the front. Used face masks should be thrown away immediately in a closed garbage bin. After you’ve taken off the mask, disinfect your hands again.

How to Properly Wash Your Hands

Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others from becoming sick and should be done after you cough. There are five steps that you should follow to wash your hands the right way.

  1. Wet your hands with running, clean water (cold or warm), turn off the tap and apply soap.
  2. Lather the soap by rubbing your hands together. Lather the back of your hands, under your nails, and between your fingers.
  3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. If you need a timer, hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
  4. Rinse your hands under running, clean water.
  5. Dry your hands by air, drying them, or using a clean towel.

If you don’t have a sink around after coughing, you should use hand sanitizer. You want to make sure that you’re using a hand sanitizer that has at least 60 percent alcohol. But know that washing your hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs.

While hand sanitizer can significantly and quickly reduce the number of germs on your hands, it doesn’t eliminate all types of germs. Plus, you shouldn’t use hand sanitizer when your hands are dirty or greasy because it won’t be as effective.

So, how do you properly apply hand sanitizer? Apply the foam or gel product to the palm of your hand and rub your hands together. Rub the sanitizer over the entire surface of your fingers and hands until your hands are dry. This can take as long as 20 seconds.

Treating a Cough

An effective treatment plan for a constant, annoying cough will depend on the cause. Still, below you’ll find some recommendations to help calm a typical cough:

  • Over-the-Counter Medicine. Cough medicine that has a coughing suppressant called dextromethorphan can provide some relief from coughs. This suppressant works by decreasing the activity in the part of the brain that causes coughing.
  • Hydration. You should drink plenty of water when you’re sick, especially if you have a fever. This is done to prevent dehydration and to loosen mucus.
  • Cough Drops. Cough drops are similar to suppressants because they can help alleviate coughing symptoms. Methanol compounds found in cough drops can act as a local anesthetic agent to temporarily numb the nerves in your irritated throat.
  • Neti Pot. Neti pots have been used for thousands of years in ayurvedic medicine. They are containers designed to rinse out your nasal cavity with a mild saline solution. To use a neti pot, you simply place the spout in one of your nostrils, and with hour head tilted over the sink, you gently pour in the solution. As you pour, the solution will flow through the nasal cavity and out the other nostril. Then you repeat on the other side. The neti pot helps alleviate allergy and sinus problems that might be causing your cough.
  • Zinc. Taking zinc supplements at the beginning of a cold can help alleviate symptoms, such as coughing. Zinc can help shorten the duration and severity of your cold and the symptoms that you experience if you started at the beginning of the cold.

Cover Your Cough Sign

A cover your cough sign is a great thing to have in your business because it reminds people that they need to cover their cough while in the building correctly. You can get a cover your cough sign through American Image Displays, and you’ll find that it’s made from high-quality metal.

A cover your cough sign made from metal is easy to clean and wipe down and has UV-resistant ink that doesn’t fade. During this time of uncertainty, one thing is sure: you must cover your cough when you’re around other people. So, invest in a cover your cough sign to show your employees that you care about their health and safety.

Final Thoughts

You should always cover your cough, even if you aren’t around other people. It’s a respectful thing to do and shows that you care about keeping everyone else safe. The best way to cover your cough is by coughing into a tissue or the crook of your elbow. If you use a tissue, make sure to dispose of it right away and wash your hands after coughing.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, a cover your cough sign should be mandatory in businesses. These signs show that your company is taking the situation seriously and cares about its employees and visitors. While people should know to cover their cough, it’s easy to forget to do. So, having a cover your cough sign could be a helpful reminder to them.

If you find that you can’t stop coughing, you should look into wearing a face mask to protect others. The mask will work to trap the respiratory droplets that come from your mouth and prevent them from entering the air. This makes it, so other people won’t be breathing in your germs after you’ve coughed.

When you do cough, you should properly wash your hands for the recommended 20 seconds. Use the five steps above to ensure that you’re washing your hands in the right way. Just by doing this one thing, you can stop the spread of germs in seconds. If you find that soap and water aren’t available after coughing, use some hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.

Coughing is natural, but you should actively try to keep other people safe when you do cough. We’re not saying that you need to hold in your coughing fit. Instead, we’re saying that there are proper ways to cough so you can keep people safe from your germs.

In this day and age, coughing can be perceived as having the coronavirus. So, making sure that you’re doing everything in your power to keep yourself and others safe is a big deal. Use the tips and tricks listed above to help you do this and remember that a cover your cough sign can make a huge difference in your business.

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