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Because the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can spread via contaminated surfaces , some people are taking the extra step of wearing gloves for apparent protection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests people use gloves while disinfecting the high-touch surfaces of their homes and discard them after each cleaning. If youre using reusable gloves for the sole purpose of ridding your house of coronavirus, the CDC says to use them only for that purpose.

But what if youre outside your home and want to use and reuse gloves to do grocery runs or other errands?

Health experts weighed in, and dont recommend either practice.

You probably shouldnt be wearing gloves at all.

One reason health experts dont endorse wearing gloves outside is that they can give wearers a false sense of security that they dont need to wash their hands.

The World Health Organisation does not believe that wearing gloves outside is effective in preventing coronavirus infections: Regularly washing your bare hands offers more protection against catching COVID-19 than wearing rubber gloves, the health organisation said in a Facebook post.