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New Zealand
Media release
From:
Deficient hand washing amenities in public toilets in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-regional survey
Key Points
- Handwashing amenities in 400 New Zealand public toilet facilities were examined between July 2020 and January 2021, one of the largest such surveys to date.
- We found major gaps in the way New Zealand public toilets are operated that could potentially contribute to infectious disease transmission.
- 15% of the facilities had no soap or other alternatives, and there was no water or any other methods of hand sanitation at all in 2.5% of facilities.
- Touch activation (rather than safer no-touch systems) was required for handwashing with water at 72% of toilets and for toilet bowl flushing at 81% of toilets.
- This survey found significantly increased provision of soap, but no increased provision of water, at the specific 128 toilet facilities that had been examined in a previous survey.
Summary
This study found major gaps in the way New Zealand public toilets are designed and serviced that could contribute to the risk of infectious disease transmission. This issue is relevant to helping with control of any COVID-19 outbreaks but also other diseases such as the more common norovirus infection. Nevertheless, hand hygiene may only be of relatively minor importance for COVID-19 control when compared to reducing aerosol transmission via improved ventilation, mask use and physical distancing.
