Usage of public transport is unavoidable in this time and age. Unless you are highly affluent and only travel in a private car and jet, you have to depend on the regular metro, bus, or train for your daily commute. Regardless of whether you are a germophobe, you have to agree to the fact that public transportation breeds a lot of uncleanliness, filled with unimaginable grime that you would not want to think about.
People who take the public transport are more likely to suffer from acute respiratory illnesses than those who travel in private vehicles. However, there is a silver lining: if you are a daily commuter, you are comparatively safe than an occasional commuter, because eventually you are the one who ends up building immunity.
Till we get our head around which approach is the correct one, let us look at some of the methods through which we can keep ourselves safe from becoming ill while travelling in public transport.
- Keep washing your hands
If gloves are too silly for you, don’t worry, we have another solution. All you need to make sure is that you wash your hands whenever you get to your destination. Make sure you wash your hands before eating your food or making contact with your face. Hand sanitizers can act like a blessing in situations like these. Make sure you always have one whenever you are on the go.
- Carry Tissues
This helps in more than on way. It will come handy when you are about to sneeze as well as when someone else around you starts sneezing. If a colleague or a stranger around is sneezing, press the tissue to your nose for 30 seconds and keep your eyes shut. Also, there are highly effective antibacterial multi-use wipes offered by Dettol that can assist in instant clean-up of your face and hands.
- Stay away from your cell phone
Today, we are constantly in touch with our gadgets; laptops, computers, and tablets. While we spend time on these, we need to make sure that the surface and screens of all our gizmos are clean, especially the ones that come in close contact with the face. Also, try to avoid bringing your phone out if there is too much pollution. The reason being that you bring the phone close to your face when somebody calls, which gives the germs a lot of time to pounce on to your body.
- Change clothes as soon as you reach home
Majority of the people have the habit of lazing on their sofa for hours in our street clothes. However, this increases the risk of you transmitting the germs to your sofa, couch, or even your bed. So, make sure you change into your favourite home clothes as soon as you reach home. To ensure maximum hygiene, add a capful of hygiene liquid while doing your laundry.
- Timing is the key
This may sound wishful , but , travelling in public transport when it is less crowded can really add more stars to your hygiene. The simple logic being, lesser the people, fewer the chances of contagious bacteria around you. Moreover, it is always better to find empty space in otherwise overcrowded bus, metro, or trains. Try leaving your home slightly early if you are a daily commuter Another effective way of reducing human contact while commuting is by using smartcards. This way you wouldn’t have to stand in long queues and stand close to people who might be carrying bacteria in their body.
- Drink safe water
Always carry adequate water from home before you start commuting. Drinking contaminated water can lead to water borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis. If the water facilities on your way are not satisfactory, always go for packaged drinking water.
- Air Masks
They say desperate time calls for desperate measures. So if your city is infamous for the rising air pollution levels or if there are news of any communicable disease to break out ensure you get yourself air masks. It is one of the most efficient ways to keep bacteria, pollen, and dust away.
- Wear gloves
There are high chances that you would look silly doing this in summers, but this is the season when the humidity levels are high, which together with pollution makes you irresistible for the bacteria. Wearing gloves safeguards you whenever you touch poles, seats and handlebars, which are also touched by everyone else. Simply put, you are avoiding skin contact wherever possible.