What about wearing gloves when out in public?

What about wearing gloves when out in public?

Wearing gloves in public is a personal decision, but it’s important to know the facts and proper uses of gloves. We currently don’t recommend using them as along with a false sense of safety, they can result in increased risk and spreading of the virus if not used correctly.

Just like with ungloved hands, touching contaminated surfaces and then other surfaces can lead to the inadvertent transmission and cross-contamination. Gloves won’t prevent or minimize that. For gloves to be effective they need to be treated as ungloved hands, with continued disinfecting and not touching multiple surfaces.

If you are sick, gloves can help a little in protecting others through direct contact, but if you are sick you should stay at home. If you cannot, it’s your choice to wear gloves to protect others. Remember that you need to practice social distancing and proper hygiene, even with the gloves on.