Consumer handwashing: Conclusions

This tracking survey indicates that a variety of hand hygiene behaviours were high earlier in the tracker (particularly in April, July and October 2020). Since then, many handwashing behaviours have declined over time (to January 2022) including the frequency of handwashing and the use of hand sanitising gel in a range of scenarios. This indicates that some handwashing behaviours established during the COVID-19 pandemic have declined. 

There are a small number of scenarios where minimal changes were noted over time, for example handwashing after handling pets. It is possible that these handwashing habits were ingrained and not influenced by the pandemic, which would explain why they have remained consistent over time.