In the 2011 movie Contagion, eerily prescient of the times we are living in, actor Kate Winslet, who plays a doctor says, "The average person touches their face 2,000 to 3,000 times a day." While there's no reference to the data source, the message has finally hit home, with health officials emphasising that we keep our hands away from our faces.

According to a World Health Organisation advisory, the reason is simple: hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. "Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and make you sick," it states.