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Living > Public Health, Safety

Respiratory Etiquette

Cover Your Cough

Serious respiratory illnesses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, whooping cough, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are spread by:

  • Coughing or sneezing
  • Unclean hands

To help stop the spread of germs,

  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
  • If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
  • Put your used tissue in the waste basket.

Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing with:

  • soap and water
    or
  • an alcohol-based hand rub

You may be asked to put on a surgical mask to protect others while visiting friends or family in a health care setting such as a hospital or nursing home.

Adapted from the CDC Cover Your Cough

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