Despite the fact that we’re in a global pandemic at the moment and all information about this virus that is killing loads of people would be appreciated, the government isn’t actually being that clear about what we can do to stop contracting it – except for washing your hands of course.

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One woman has decided to come out and try and shed more light on the situation though. Posting on Facebook, the Australian said that a nurse had told her that although there had been a strong emphasis on washing your hands, nobody was talking about how important it was to keep your fingernails short.

She went on to explain:

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Among all the hand-washing instructions and the fun 20-second song suggestions, I haven’t seen anyone note that it is impossible to wash your hands properly if your fingernails are long.

It’s easy for bacteria, viruses, dirt, debris and even the virus to live in your fingernails, meaning that if you bite them then everything is transferred into your mouth.

If you can’t put your fingernails straight down against your other palm without your nails adding too much distance to do it, you cannot wash under your fingernails properly unless you use a nail brush every time

If you can’t rub the very ends of your fingers against the other palm, then your hands aren’t truly clean after you wash them, no matter how long you soap up.

Please, during this global emergency, keep your nails short.

Yeah, I gotta admit that I hadn’t really thought about that at all to be honest. I keep my nails fairly short anyway so I probably wasn’t harming anyone or screwing anything up, but there are a lot of people out there that almost certainly do and weren’t aware of this advice. Blows my mind that nobody in power has seen fit to share this, especially as it’s literally a hospital regulation that nurses and doctors have short nails for this exact reason. Come on guys.

For more of the same, check out Ashley Young’s Coronavirus advice. Better than any other I’ve seen.