• HAVING lived in China, Korea and Hong Kong, I feel that I can use that experience to write my thoughts on hygiene procedure, from the way these governments react.

One of the problems here is that we British do not like to be told what to do. But with these endemics, we lived through SARS in Hong Kong, extreme measures need to be taken in order not only for us to protect ourselves but places that are in our daily lives, clubs, supermarkets, coffee shops, etc to our public facilities.

I recently visited Costco where the staff are constantly wiping the handles of the trolleys and putting gel on customers hands, brilliant example on how to behave.

We can help in our homes too if we wipe down taps and door handles where the virus can lurk. Someone comes into your home and you don’t know what they have touched in a public space, the handrail of the tube where others have touched could bring the virus into your home.

In the countries I mentioned, all public places are being wiped down with antiseptic cleaners throughout the day; not once but every few hours, people keep to the rules and stay home, wear masks, etc.

Masks stop you touching your face and if someone coughs or sneezes it stops the droplets touching you.

I would hope that places like the Royal Free Hospital quickly starts by having security people at the entrances insisting on putting gel on people’s hands when entering.

Of course, some companies will use the coronavirus as an excuse as to why something hasn’t happened.

At my Virgin health club in the Finchley Road, we were told we could only have one towel and not two as they were short because they were boiling the towels extra longer to kill the virus!

Thing is, they are always short of towels!

LINDA GROVE, NW3