World Health Organization (WHO), on Thursday, while observing the Global Handwashing Day 2020, highlighted the importance of handwashing as an effective means of disease prevention.
"Handwashing has always been one of most effective ways of keeping diseases at bay. It is a simple act that pays in dividends when it comes to keeping ourselves healthy and safe. Handwashing is also one of the key cornerstones of COVID-19 prevention", said WHO South-East Asia's Regional Director, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh.
"Now more than ever as we embrace the new normal and live with COVID-19, hand hygiene needs to become an integral part of our daily routine and our lives".
As the transmission of COVID-19 is predominantly caused by direct and indirect contact through contaminated objects and surfaces, washing hands with soap and running water is critical.
"The pandemic is still among us and it is far from over. We must remind ourselves of the basics that we as individuals can do to keep ourselves safe", she said.
The theme for the 2020 Global Handwashing Day is 'Hand Hygiene for All' calling on society to achieve universal hand hygiene and ensure better health outcomes beyond the pandemic.
Maldives currently records a total of 11,062 COVID-19 cases of which 1,140 are active cases, in addition to 9,880 recoveries and 35 deaths.
On March 12, WHO classified the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. To date, the new strain of novel coronavirus has infected over 38.9 million people and claimed over 1 million lives around the world. However, out of those infected, more than 29.1 million people have recovered.
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