Covering coughs and sneezes — Wellbeing, 4–6 years
Learn how to keep coughs and sneezes from sending tiny wet drops towards other people. Wellbeing, 4–6 years.
The simple cover
When a cough or sneeze comes, turn away and cover your mouth and nose with the inside of your elbow. If you use a tissue, put it in the bin and clean your hands afterwards. This keeps many droplets from landing on people or things.
Why it matters
A cough or sneeze can send tiny wet drops through the air, even when we cannot see them. Those drops may carry germs that can make someone ill. Covering them is a small solution to the problem of sharing germs in close places.
What to do
Marta is playing beside Leo when she feels a sneeze. First, she turns her face away. Next, she sneezes into the inside of her elbow instead of her hands. Then she checks that nothing is left to wipe, and cleans her hands before touching Leo's toys.
The hand mistake
Many people cover a sneeze with both hands because it feels polite and stops the drops quickly. The problem is that hands touch toys, door handles and faces, so germs can travel on them. The elbow is better when no tissue is ready.
At home and out
This helps in a bus, a waiting room, a classroom, or at the dinner table. It is especially useful when people are close together. You still tell an adult if you feel very unwell, have trouble breathing, or keep coughing.
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