Wearing rubber gloves to protect yourself against Covid-19 may do more harm than good, a doctor has warned.
People wearing latex gloves - particularly customers in supermarkets - has become a common sight in recent weeks but it seems there is no consensus over whether it is a good idea.
Surgeon Dr Karan Raj took to social media to explain why the measure may be unnecessary - and even harmful.
Speaking on camera via video-app TikTok, he uses a pen to draw on his hand, showing how germs can accumulate as you touch things like baskets, trolleys and self-service checkout machines which have been used by other shoppers.
As you continue to wear your gloves on your way home or throughout the day, the gloves continue to come into contact with more and more germs, which you be easily and unknowingly transferred by touching yourself or items like your phone, the Mirror reports.
"Your glove is now more full of germs than your hand would have been if you had washed each time," he said.
"Remember, with these same gloves you'll be touching your steering wheel, you might accidentally touch your [face] transferring the germs to yourself.
"And then when you're changing your gloves, you might be actually touching the glove itself. Just wash your hands, be sensible, stay safe."
Dr Raj also did a video on whether people should be wearing a face mask to help protect against the spread of Covid-19.
He said it is a "contentious topic" but said if someone is sick, a carer or a healthcare worker, face masks are important to protect themselves and others.
Adding that they are not a replacement for social distancing and hand-washing, he advised that 'we need to safeguard against the false sense of security that masks alone keep people safe'.
