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Jude Bislig

Prof. Jan Babcock

English 137H

19 November 2021

Presence of Handwashing Surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic

Almost exactly two years ago, the world we all knew - the world we were all accustomed

to - was turned upside down with the advent of COVID-19. Beforehand, according to the

Healthy Handwashing Survey conducted by Bradley Corp, only around 37% of Americans

washed their hands six or more times in a day, which is about a third of the population.

Widespread masking to prevent the spread of droplets and subsequent disease also was virtually

nonexistent. And without social distancing rules and isolation in place, face-to-face interactions

and meetings with family and friends were, for the most part, how we usually communicated

with them. Little did we know that a global pandemic would change all of that. The constant

threat of catching Covid, at that point a virus with highly unknown qualities, created a surge of

cautiousness regarding handwashing and sanitation in the public eye, pervading all aspects of

society. As seen from the Bradley Corp survey, adherence rates of handwashing a reasonable

amount everyday in America spiked to 78% in April 2020 when the pandemic started picking up

pace, in comparison to that 37% before. This response against the virus was not new, however, as

it emulated responses to other deadly disease outbreaks in the past, such as tuberculosis,

smallpox, and HIV. But as fears of Covid have begun to subside due to time and vast amounts of

vaccinations, people’s habits have started to revert to times prior to the pandemic, although other

precautions have obviously remained steady. This includes masking indoors in some places, as

well as limiting indoor capacity to satisfy social distancing as well. From this, we can see that
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COVID-19 created a resurgence of widespread adherence to handwashing and sanitation to an

overbearing extent due to panic, caution, and the unknown nature of the virus. However, as the

pandemic wears on, factors such as vaccinations, scientific study, and even just laziness or

dropping concern have led to a backwards trend in handwashing, while the status of precautions

like masking and avoiding handshakes are largely in the question.

Handwashing to prevent disease is a relatively new concept overall in human history,

having only been widely accepted for about 130 years. However, it took about half a century to

reach this point. In the mid-1800s, Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis had the honor of first

making remarkable discoveries surrounding the efficacy of handwashing in the maternity ward

that he worked in. Additionally, this maternity ward housed quite a high disease and mortality

rate among the people there. According to Amy Fleming, a writer for The Guardian, germs had

not been discovered yet, and people at the time believed that miasma - putrid smells from things

like corpses - created disease. This had the unfortunate effect of doctors having very unclean

hands between activities like dissecting corpses and delivering babies. One day, Semmelweis

observed that a doctor had died of the same disease the mothers were catching after he had

gotten a cut during a procedure, and because of this, he attempted to devise an experiment.

Doctors would wash their hands and tools in a chlorine solution, and after its conclusion, he

noted that the mortality rate of the new mothers dropped from 18% to 1%, a very apparent

decrease (Fleming). Although the experiment was highly successful, the results were greatly

resisted because many doctors, often from higher class families, were insulted that Semmelweis

insinuated that their dirty hands could cause disease and death, according to Tomes. And by the

age of 47, Semmelweis passed away in a psychiatric hospital, without hope and without a job.

However, his works did pave the way for germ theory in the future. For example, Louis Pasteur
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identified how to kill pathogens with heat, and Robert Koch founded medical bacteriology

through the discovery of many diseases like tuberculosis and cholera. And as Tomes says, “by

the 1890s and into the early 1900s, handwashing moved from being something doctors did to

something everybody had been told to do.” Finally, handwashing had been instituted as a norm

in everyday life.

Before this current pandemic, past disease outbreaks also increased adherence to hygiene

and a fear of germs. For one, the start of the 20th century saw the rise of tuberculosis, which

sparked many health awareness movements. People refrained from hugging, kissing, shaking

hands, and doing other actions that would create close contact with others. Wrappers for food

also became common so people would not be touching them with their bare hands and

potentially returning them if they decided they do not need to buy it in the end. However, this

spread of awareness in combination with vaccines and antibiotics created a substantial decrease

in deaths and had the side effect of ending that period of extreme hygiene. This cycle began

anew with the mass spreading of STDs in the 1970s, especially HIV. Previously, the

counterculture of the times made the younger generation rebel against their elders, so they hardly

wanted to follow hygiene rules in place. But according to Nancy Tomes, many realized that if

they were not careful, disease could slowly envelope their lives, so because of this, adequate

handwashing entered many people’s lives.

The rapid spreading of the coronavirus pandemic followed a very similar path as past

outbreaks, although at a much greater scale due to its global nature. In its early periods, the world

watched as people rushed stores to stockpile on products such as soap, sanitizer, and especially

toilet paper. According to an article on CNBC published near the beginning, people received

conflicting messages from the authorities, so this creates stress among many (Taylor). And
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because of this, they turned to their fellow citizens to see what they were doing to cope with the

pandemic. When all they saw was panic buying and hoarding of supplies, this also influenced

them to do the same. People wanted to regain some sense of control in a situation where control

seemed easily out of reach. One major factor that contributed to impulsive and irrational actions

was the fact that the nature and impact of Covid was largely unknown. Once everybody learned

that the virus had a two week incubation period, was extremely infectious, and could cause

severe symptoms even including death, it only furthered stresses that they had, especially since

there was no concrete defense against it besides simple prevention.

Aside from hoarding supplies, people engaged in other excessive activities like sanitizing

many surfaces and washing their hands too often. The fear of contamination really served to

rightfully justify this overcautiousness, since nobody knew how deadly COVID-19 could be.

Although frequent handwashing is a positive habit that everyone should do, Professor Melissa

Hawkins states how sensitive skin on people’s hands actually became very common. These

behaviors were also exacerbated by a study that showed that the virus could stay on plastic and

stainless steel surfaces for days (Lewis). It is common knowledge now that Covid does not

spread through surfaces very often, but it took many months before it came to that point. Even

the World Health Organization emphasized disinfecting surfaces, and as a result, many tips were

brought to the public on how to sanitize and clean even groceries. A fear of germs was especially

horrible for people with OCD, since they were often prone to excessive hand washing to scrub

off as many germs as possible. David Adam says that this disorder preys on irrational thoughts to

fuel compulsive behavior. And with the onset of a highly infectious virus, it could only seem like

a nightmare to go anywhere or touch anything without feeling like germs were invading their

body. This is not the first time behavior like this has been seen. OCD has plagued people through
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issues like asbestos, climate change, and other past disease epidemics like HIV and Aids as well.

However, in moderate amounts and apart from any external conditions, increased hygiene in the

population was an objectively good change. Washing our hands is a menial task that takes a short

amount of time, but its effects are significant in slowing the transmission of the virus so that if

one touches their eyes, nose, or mouth afterward, the risk is subdued. In addition to this, other

precautions are necessary in a pandemic of this scale, such as social distancing and mask wearing

when surrounded by others. These measures were dutifully stressed to a great degree since the

beginning as well, and are essential if one wishes to limit exposure to respiratory droplets that

could potentially cause disease. Another change during the pandemic was how people greet

others. Because handshakes create solid contact between hands and could spread germs, they

have been largely replaced by other constructs. From the Healthy Handwashing Survey, 53% of

participants used waves to greet people, while others used air hugs (16%) or fist and elbow

bumps (29%).

Even if hand washing rates did skyrocket in the pandemic, there was still a portion of

people who neglected, intentionally or not, to wash their hands still. According to a CDC report,

a quarter of Americans did not wash their hands during key moments such as blowing their nose

(Rettner), which is concerning since this was near the height of the pandemic in October 2020.

One good result from the research is that in 2019 and 2020, more than 85% of people washed

their hands after using the bathroom at home, with 95% for public restrooms. However, there

was also data released that was not very encouraging, to say the least. Before the pandemic in

2019 for example, 55% of people washed their hands before eating in a restaurant, and 63% of

participants washed when eating at home. The pandemic did see some improvements in this

regard, surpassing 70% in both respective cases. However, it is important to note that some
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general groups tended not to wash their hands as much as other groups, such as young adults,

men, and white people (Rettner). Judging by how the report turned out, not enough people are

concerned about hygiene, and even a global pandemic couldn’t really change that. And once

again, these rates of adherence to handwashing are continually dropping. The Healthy

Handwashing Survey shows that in January 2021, after the pandemic had been present for a

while, the percentage of people who adequately washed their hands - six or more times a day -

each day in America dropped to 57%. In addition, the amount of Americans washing their hands

for 20 seconds dropped from 77% in April 2020 to 67% in January. One must also keep in mind

that research and surveys conducted about hand washing may not always be accurate either.

According to Katie Hunt, even if people do not wash their hands, they tend to say that it is an

important activity and cover up the fact that they do not do it themselves. This means that some

statistics about hand washing may be higher than they should be, which is also discouraging.

There were many factors that may have played a part in reverting habits back to

pre-pandemic times. With the rise of coronavirus vaccines, people have started to feel safe

enough to return to prior ways of life, since it is one of the best defenses against the virus.

Vaccinations have also made it possible for some areas to relax the masking mandate alongside

indoor capacity, which had been traditionally limited to accommodate social distancing.

Although the vaccine is one of the best ways to avoid catching COVID-19, the CDC says that

“Vaccinated people can still become infected and have the potential to spread the virus to others,

although at much lower rates than unvaccinated people.” This is especially true with other types

such as the Delta variant. Because of this, handwashing is still a vital measure to protect us

against Covid, nondependent on vaccination status.

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In addition to the vaccine, scientific discoveries have helped to assure the public that

some aspects of COVID-19 are not as bad as they once thought. Again, people know nowadays

that the virus does not spread very well through surfaces. Scientists came to this conclusion

through the study of viral RNA (Lewis). As soon as the pandemic began, this RNA was one of

the first things examined in order to study how Covid spreads. When people tested positive for

the virus, scientists found that surrounding objects would accordingly be contaminated.

However, according to microbiologist Emanuel Goldman, this type of contamination should not

necessarily be a cause for alarm since viral RNA is “the equivalent of the corpse of the virus.”

Therefore, one can see how it is not infectious in this state. Early experiments that were also

done only were conducted in the lab, which does not emulate conditions in the real world since

they used huge doses of the COVID-19 virus to see how well it contaminated surfaces -

unrealistic to say the least. One study in Israel did seek to put the virus to the test outside of the

lab, and furniture in hospitals and quarantine hotels were swabbed to check if they were

contaminated. Although half of the samples from the hospitals were positive for the viral RNA,

none of the collected RNA could infect a cell (Lewis). As results such as these started to

compound and become the norm, scientists concluded that surface transmission was not as

common as they once thought.

There are other more general reasons why handwashing is not practiced by everyone. For

example, some people have not been partaking in this activity simply because they do not have

any access to soap and other similar utilities. According to Zaria Gorvett on BBC, “In the least

developed countries, only 27% of the population have access to these things,” and three billion

people in the world do not have either adequate facilities or soap. However, in nations that are

more well off, only 50% of people actually use these things after using the bathroom (Gorvett).
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What could possibly lead these people to neglect practicing basic hygiene? Well, there might be

a specific psychology behind why. For one, since the incubation of many diseases takes days -

even weeks in the case of Covid - one who has been infected by a disease will have a difficult

time making a connection to refraining from washing their hands on a certain day or days. And

two years after the pandemic began its domination of everyday life, the fear factor of many has

largely worn off, giving way to optimism bias. Gorvett says that optimism bias can be described

as “believing that bad things are less likely to happen to ourselves than they are to other people.”

This does not only affect Covid, as it is not only found in diverse people across the world of all

demographics, but even some animals as well. If someone does not believe that they will catch

COVID-19, they do not feel the need to wash their hands, which of course leaves them more at

risk than those who are cautious and do their duty. Another prime example of optimism bias is

through risky behaviors such as smoking or drinking too much alcohol, since people are more

willing to partake in these activities if they disregard the dangers.

In addition, if one sees others not washing their hands after using the restroom or other

activities, they are less likely to wash their hands as well. In fact, in certain social situations and

pressures, people can even view those who wash their hands as haughty or stuck-up in an

environment where the majority does not. As such, this may discourage some people who are on

the fence of washing their hands after using the toilet, whereas it would be automatic in another

situation without any social pressures. But even doctors are not free from the grasp of the

psychology that controls hygiene habits in humans. For example, in a study in a Quebec hospital

conducted in 2019, it was shown that workers only washed their hands a third of the time in

situations that would warrant it, according to Gorvett. He also says that doctors who tend to

make their decisions rationally wash their hands less often than those who thought about the
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action intuitively. This means that if doctors trust that handwashing is a good hygienic practice

without thinking too much about it, they will perform this action more than those that analyze its

nature and effects.

Rates of handwashing vary considerably among different countries and even with gender

as well, and this is influenced by the social norms in place. In nations like China and the

Netherlands, less than half of people in a specific study said they washed their hands with soap

after using the restroom, while in Saudi Arabia, about 97% of people did wash their hands

(Gorvett). As shown from this study, some countries place extreme emphasis on washing hands

for hygiene, while others act slightly more lackluster. And in general, women tend to wash their

hands more than men, with 65% of women and 52% of men practicing handwashing in the

beginning of the pandemic (Gorvett). These rates are less than ideal, especially considering how

the presence or absence of handwashing in situations can be a positive or negative cascade. Once

again, people are more likely to wash their hands if they see others doing so in the bathroom, so

it seems that women are more active regarding keeping hands clean. In general, Hunt says that it

may be down to socially programmed behavior that women tend to focus more on care than men.

Many years ago, women were traditionally charged with taking care of the family, and so

ensuring that their children would not get sick and even potentially die was a high priority.

Another study also talked to some of the men present, and when asked about why they do not

wash hands, they replied that they thought they were above getting germs because they were too

strong to get sick.

However, there are things that can be done to promote this important act of hygiene, and

it starts with each individual. Each person can be the change they want to see in the world if they

try to incorporate hand washing regularly into their daily habits. Once people see how others
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around them are washing their hands especially in the bathroom or before eating, it will influence

them into washing their hands as well. Successful health campaigns can also be extremely

powerful tools to convince people in the population to wash more, and even perform other

precautions like masking and distancing for the COVID-19 pandemic too. If they play on the use

of disgust, such as portraying dirty tissues or other revolting things, it may cause those who are

more squeamish to be driven to wash their hands (Gorvett). Especially in an age where

technology is very widespread, it can become easy to spread a message, especially if it is done

creatively and goes viral. This type of campaigning resonates more with men, while messages

surrounding knowledge about hand washing, such as “Water doesn’t kill germs, soap does”

(Hunt).

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, people religiously practiced

handwashing and other hygienic activities, especially since its effects were so mysterious at the

time. Panic was widespread, people were forced to isolate themselves, and many partook in

irrational activities like hoarding hand sanitizer and more. But ever since then, there has been a

general downward trend as communities revert to their previous habits. With the advent of

vaccines, breakthroughs in science, and the nature of humans as described by psychology, people

have found less need to wash their hands and practice the levels of hygiene that were originally

present under Covid’s reign. Despite this, we must recognize that the pandemic is not over. We

should still adhere to washing our hands, especially since it defends us from many other illnesses

besides COVID-19, and do our part to end the pandemic to the best of our abilities. Social

distancing and masking is also still effective in stopping contamination as well, but as the

coronavirus becomes less and less deadly, they may disappear from our lives once again,

although the Bradley Corporation has shown that masking is now the number one defense
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against Covid, while distancing and handwashing have fallen slightly. It is uncertain how the

future will turn out, but if the world is to return to times of physical affection and traveling

freely, hygiene should be a core practice in our lives.

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Works Cited

Adam, David. “The Hellish Side of Handwashing: How Coronavirus Is Affecting People with
OCD.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Mar. 2020,
www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/13/why-regular-handwashing-can-be-bad-advic
e-for-patients.

Fleming, Amy. “Keep It Clean: The Surprising 130-Year History of Handwashing.” The
Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 18 Mar. 2020,
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/keep-it-clean-the-surprising-130-year-history-
of-handwashing.

Gorvett, Zaria. “The Reason Why Some People Don't Wash Their Hands.” BBC Future, BBC,
www.bbc.com/future/article/20200417-the-hidden-reasons-some-people-dont-wash-their-
hands.

Hawkins, Melissa. “Yes, We Should Be Keeping the Healthier Hand-Washing Habits We

Developed at the Start of the Pandemic.” The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2021,
theconversation.com/yes-we-should-be-keeping-the-healthier-hand-washing-habits-we-de
veloped-at-the-start-of-the-pandemic-169892.

“Healthy Handwashing Survey.” Bradley Corp, www.bradleycorp.com/handwashing.

Hunt, Katie. “Men Wash Their Hands Much Less Often than Women and That Matters More
than Ever.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Apr. 2020,
www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/health/handwashing-gender-gap-wellness/index.html.

Lewis, Dyani. “Covid-19 Rarely Spreads through Surfaces. so Why Are We Still Deep
Cleaning?” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 29 Jan. 2021,
www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00251-4.

Lewis, Dyani. “Covid-19 Rarely Spreads through Surfaces. so Why Are We Still Deep
Cleaning?” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 29 Jan. 2021,
www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00251-4.
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“National Handwashing Awareness Week.” Comanche County Memorial Hospital, 4 Dec. 2020,
www.ccmhhealth.com/national-handwashing-awareness-week/.

Rettner, Rachael. “1 In 4 Americans Aren't Washing Their Hands Regularly.” LiveScience,

Purch, 8 Oct. 2020, www.livescience.com/hand-washing-covid-19-pandemic.html.

“Science Brief: Covid-19 Vaccines and Vaccination.” Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention,
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html
#:~:text=Vaccinated%20people%20can%20still%20become,the%20virus%20is%20wide
spread.

Taylor, Chloe. “Here's Why People Are Panic Buying and Stockpiling Toilet Paper to Cope with
Coronavirus Fears.” CNBC, CNBC, 14 Mar. 2020,
www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/heres-why-people-are-panic-buying-and-stockpiling-toilet-pa
per.html.