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The Idea of “Respiratory Hygiene” and Maintaining Robust Hygiene Practices Post-COVID

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The Idea of “Respiratory Hygiene” and Maintaining Robust Hygiene Practices Post-COVID

The Idea of “Respiratory Hygiene” and Maintaining Robust Hygiene Practices Post-COVID

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Recommendations for Industry

The Idea of “Respiratory Hygiene” and Maintaining Robust Hygiene Practices Post-COVID

The demasking of America has become a top headline in the news, social media, and general discussion – with both positive and negative perspectives. While we would expect masks to eventually phase out unless we see a resurgence in COVID cases, one area TAG would hope – and recommend – be continued is that of increased hygiene. Related to both the increased handwashing, cleaning that became customary throughout COVID, as well as staying home when ill, particularly with fever or respiratory infections, maintaining the hygiene rules of COVID-19 will help decrease the spread of a wide range of infectious diseases.

 The idea of improving our “respiratory hygiene” will represent an interesting cultural shift in the United States. Previously, working while sick was viewed as a “badge of honor” because some thought it demonstrated commitment to a workplace and colleagues if people continued to work while they were actively symptomatic.   As we emerge from the pandemic, the thought of being at work while actively symptomatic seems, at least for now, socially unacceptable.  We’ve also benefited from cultural shifts in remote and hybrid work that should help symptomatic employees work from home and avoid spreading illness in the workplace.  Cultural practices of mask-usage while symptomatic and in public that are common in Asia may also become more commonplace in the U.S. as well.  Reducing the number of symptomatic and infectious people in the workplace can prevent the spread of COVID and influenza and result in few sick days in the employee population.

As stated in a 2020 study on the Importance of understanding the need of personal hygiene, “Good hygiene is a principal barrier to numerous communicable diseases, which includes the fecal-oral diseases, and which promotes well-being and health.”

Additionally, while the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 COVID-19 variants (those first detected in Britain and South Africa, respectively) have been determined to be more easily transmitted than the original strain, a recent study found that the variants can be just as effectively eliminated by disinfection and thorough hand washing, heat or alcohol treatment. 

Thus, even while businesses are considering when and how to allow for demasking, reiterating, encouraging, and enforcing robust hygiene practices is simply a good business practice for the protection of your workers, customers, and business.

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