JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ever heard of the toilet cloud plume? "It is gross," says Dr. Greg Poland, Mayo's infectious disease expert at Mayo Clinic Rochester.
"It's what's produced when you flush the toilet...effectively distributing whatever on EVERYTHING in that washroom," he says.
Dr. Poland calls the public restroom "the most dangerous place you can go in public."
So 4 tips to protect yourself from the coronavirus in the bathroom:
1) Dr. Poland says it's a good idea to flush the toilet with your foot and turn away as quickly as possible. Don't face the toilet when you flush.
2) Never touch the faucet or the door handles, Dr. Poland says. "Do not do it. It's grossly contaminated with fecal bacteria."
3) Don't use a hand dryer because it blows germs around.
4) To be extra picky, don't touch the part of the dangling toilet paper somebody else just touched.
Dr. Poland says, "Is it possible there's coronavirus on the end of the toilet paper? Yes, if that person grabbed the toilet paper and ripped it" and they recently sneezed or wiped their nose.
Dr. Poland says "the coronavirus can persist" on the toilet paper.
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Links to bookmark:
- List | Schools, events closed or canceled due to coronavirus concerns
- List | Florida universities, colleges move classes online due to coronavirus concerns
- List: Voting location changes, how to vote if you feel sick
- This interactive map shows all reported coronavirus cases in the world
- List: Grocery stores changing hours to stock as customers prep for COVID-19 quarantines
- Florida Department of Health's COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard