Remember 2020? The Handwashing Habit We Forgot
Remember 2020? When handwashing was practically a national anthem? When every supermarket, salon, church, and boda stage had a jerrycan with a tap and you felt like a criminal if you forgot to wash your hands before entering?
Well, today is Global Handwashing Day and it is the perfect time to ask: Are you still washing your hands like we did during COVID or have we all quietly retired the soap?
The Forgotten Habit
Handwashing remains the cheapest, easiest, and most effective way to stop the spread of germs. Doctors have said it, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said it, even your mum has said it.
But now that masks are gone and sanitizers are gathering dust, most of us have slipped back into our old habits, grabbing chapati, shaking hands, and touching everything as if germs took a holiday.It is funny. Back then, we queued to wash our hands at every entrance. Some of us even became experts on the 20 second rule with the between the fingers scrub and the wrist twist. Now we are back to the rinse and go method.
Meanwhile, Back in Uganda
Uganda took handwashing seriously during the pandemic. Yellow jerrycans were everywhere, at shops, schools, and boda stages. Some even had sensors. You would wave your hand like you were in a sci-fi movie and water would flow.
But after restrictions eased, many of these handwashing stations disappeared faster than sanitizer in a taxi park. Ask someone today when they last washed their hands properly, not just splashed water, and they will probably laugh nervously.
A Little Reminder
Today is not just about hygiene. It is about common sense.
Clean hands mean fewer infections, fewer sick days, and more peace of mind. Yet experts say most people still do not wash their hands properly. We skip thumbs, forget wrists, and barely touch the soap.
So maybe today, take a minute to do it right. Soap, water, twenty seconds, rinse, dry.
It is that simple.
The Big Question
Let us be honest, Uganda. When was the last time you properly washed your hands like you did in 2020?
Do you still keep sanitizer in your bag or car or did that habit end with the lockdowns?
Because maybe the real new normal is not just moving on from COVID, but remembering the small habits that kept us safe.
