We've all been told to wash our hands more often, cough and sneeze into a tissue and avoid touching our faces.
But research shows most of us touch our eyes, nose or mouth 15 times an hour. The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), a company part-owned by the Cabinet Office, has issued advice on avoiding these habits.
Touching your face can significantly increase the risk of infection with flu or cold viruses and the new coronavirus
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, the new coronavirus is transmitted from person to person, like many other respiratory infections.
This includes by respiratory droplets produced when someone sneezes and inhaled into the lungs of others, and by touching a virus-contaminated surface and using that hand to touch your eyes or mouth.
While we can easily avoid being around someone who’s obviously sick, or take precautions against airborne viruses using a mask, avoiding the virus when it’s on a surface is almost impossible.
Tips include asking those around you to shout "face" every time they see you about to reach up, or folding arms to avoid hands drifting towards the face.
If you’re in a meeting or sitting in a class, he recommended lacing your fingers together and placing them in your lap.
Wearing glasses instead of contact lenses and wearing a face mask to create a barrier.
Creating an "alternative behaviour" in place of unprompted face touching – for example drumming fingers on legs instead of biting your nails – could also help, according to the BIT.