Single use gloves

[RCVoyager]

Why are single use gloves not a big part of the answer in all facets of life in public and particularly on cruise ships (thinking of Lido lunch lines)?  You would actually only need one glove for touching utensils and use an ungloved hand for holding your plate.  This would not eliminate risk, but it would certainly mitigate it.

[Neesa]

@RCVoyager, Yes! In fact I may be adding these to my cruise emergency kit. This makes perfect sense, you can purchase a huge box of clear ones at Wal Mart super cheap! Oh boy, my teenage daughter is going to be even more embarrassed to travel with me now! Fantastic, can't wait to go back to the windjammer in June (fingers crossed) Thanks for posting this :)

[SpeedNoodles]

I always bring some from home for disinfecting the cabin and our airplane seats because the Clorox Hydrogen Peroxide wipes are so harsh on your skin.  I could easily bring more - I have to order them from Amazon because I have such small hands that nobody carries XS at local stores (Costco, etc).

I really wouldn't be surprised if we start to see more of this, so you won't be the only one, lol.

 

[RCVoyager]

I think the use of a single knuckle for elevator buttons and maybe the elimination of the handshake could be coming to all of us.

[SpeedNoodles]

6 minutes ago, RCVoyager said:

I think the use of a single knuckle for elevator buttons and maybe the elimination of the handshake could be coming to all of us.

I haven't touched an elevator button with my fingers for years.  I have such bony wrists that I can do it with my wrists.  I haven't touched nearly anything that isn't at my own desk at work for  years.  Because Norovirus runs rampant through our workplace at least 3 times a year.  I never get it, because I don't freaking TOUCH THINGS, lol.  I open doors with my feet, or with my sleeves.  It kind of baffles me that anyone lives in a world where they don't have to do the same.

[RCVoyager]

6 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I haven't touched an elevator button with my fingers for years.  I have such bony wrists that I can do it with my wrists.  I haven't touched nearly anything that isn't at my own desk at work for  years.  Because Norovirus runs rampant through our workplace at least 3 times a year.  I never get it, because I don't freaking TOUCH THINGS, lol.  I open doors with my feet, or with my sleeves.  It kind of baffles me that anyone lives in a world where they don't have to do the same.

I find myself doing a lot of the same things.  I don't think my wrists are quite a bony as your's though!

[Neesa]

@SpeedNoodles, wow you sound like me, my family says I have issues! No I don't now I have tissues, I carry them everywhere to open doors, push elevator buttons etc. Then I whip out the 60% alcohol infused hand sanitizer when I am settled in if I can't get to soap and water. And heaven help either of them (husband teenage daughter) if they touch their face while out with me hahaha!!!

BUT with this super sad situation I'm like, huh who has issues? And just like you I sanitize the entire cabin, I make them stand behind me and move in only after I get started & yes my hands are beat up after that, I have located and already packed in my bag the gloves for that mission as well as project combat Wind Jammer utensil nastiness.

Great hack, surprised i never though of that. 

Cue family eye roll.....

Mama gets sick, well EVERYONE SUFFERS! Better to be safe then sorry. I'm too darn busy to be down with an illness. Have a safe and healthy day :)

[twangster]

Single use gloves don't necessarily offer all the protections required.  At some point you have to take them off and touch some of the things you touched when you had the gloves on.  Many viruses, germs and bacteria will transfer to or from gloves just as they do with skin. 

Skin is pretty good at keeping stuff from entering the body, that's what it does 24 x 7.  The problem isn't so much getting something on your hands but what you hands do once "contaminated".  Touch your eyes, mouth, nose, etc. and that is how many people become infected with something.  It didn't seep in through the skin on your hands.

If the food tongs are contaminated that will transfer to your gloves.  You carry a plate full of food, a glass of water and utensils to a table.  It doesn't matter if you have worn gloves to get to this point or your hands.   Assuming there was a contamination prior to this point if your gloves or hands are contaminated at this point, so is your glass, your plate and your utensils.  

Now you have to take off the gloves without further contaminating you.  Your unexposed hands grab the water glass you carried with your contaminated gloves.  They are now contaminated.  How about the salt and pepper shakers?  The table surface, the chair you grab and pulled out to sit down.  

Incidentally touching your face is fine IF your hands are clean.  If you just washed your hands touch your face, no problem.  It's only when you have been touching things like door knobs or railings that you shouldn't touch your face.

If everyone wore gloves all the time around the ship the slogan would become "Wash your gloves it's the right thing to do..."

[RCVoyager]

6 minutes ago, twangster said:

Single use gloves don't necessarily offer all the protections required.  At some point you have to take them off and touch some of the things you touched when you had the gloves on.  Many viruses, germs and bacteria will transfer to or from gloves just as they do with skin. 

Skin is pretty good at keeping stuff from entering the body, that's what it does 24 x 7.  The problem isn't so much getting something on your hands but what you hands do once "contaminated".  Touch your eyes, mouth, nose, etc. and that is how many people become infected with something.  It didn't seep in through the skin on your hands.

If the food tongs are contaminated that will transfer to your gloves.  You carry a plate full of food, a glass of water and utensils to a table.  It doesn't matter if you have worn gloves to get to this point or your hands.   Assuming there was a contamination prior to this point if your gloves or hands are contaminated at this point, so is your glass, your plate and your utensils.  

Now you have to take off the gloves without further contaminating you.  Your unexposed hands grab the water glass you carried with your contaminated gloves.  They are now contaminated.  How about the salt and pepper shakers?  The table surface, the chair you grab and pulled out to sit down.  

Incidentally touching your face is fine IF your hands are clean.  If you just washed your hands touch your face, no problem.  It's only when you have been touching things like door knobs or railings that you shouldn't touch your face.

If everyone wore gloves all the time around the ship the slogan would become "Wash your gloves it's the right thing to do..."

I'm with you Twangster.  The original premise was that single use gloves wouldn't eliminate the problem, but would mitigate it.  I agree they must be used correctly to help.  A trash can at the end of the Windjammer line to push the glove off from the inside would be the proper way to do it.  Having drinks poured for pick up rather than self service drinks or drink machines would help too.

[SpeedNoodles]

Well, taking off gloves without contaminating yourself is a breeze.  We wore them all of the time at the zoo to prevent exposure to things like salmonella and Herpes A, so I'm personally a pro.  It's a matter of knowing which hands have been doing what.  It's not 100% fool proof, but it's not useless either.