Hollywood stars and the Queen have been seen covering their hands with latex gloves amid the coronavirus, but experts warn this does not have the same effectiveness as washing your hands.
After all, you need to protect the virus from entering your mouth, nose, or eyes – not from getting it on your hands.
"Gloves provide a false sense of security and make people less likely to wash their hands with soap and water, which is the most important thing to do," Dr. Claudia Pastides told U.K.'s Daily Mail reported.
Public Health England recommends good hygiene over all.
"PHE is not recommending the use of gloves as a protective measure against COVID-19 for the general public," a spokesperson told the Daily Mail. "People concerned about the transmission of infectious diseases should prioritize good personal, respiratory, and hand hygiene."
With face masks in short supply, latex gloves have become a go-to, but there is "very little evidence" the gloves or masks are effective "outside of clinical settings," according to PHE.
Sylvester Stallone, Joan Collins, Joey Essex, Naomi Campbell, and the Queen, 93, are among the celebrities to have been seen wearing gloves in public, per the report.
Experts say the elderly, those with high-blood pressure, and underlying health conditions are most at risk of death if having contracted the coronavirus.
"COVID-19 spreads in 2 ways," Pastides told the Daily Mail. "First, through inhaling virus-filled droplets that are released when infected people talk, cough and sneeze; and secondly, when people touch a surface with virus-filled droplets on it and then put their hand into their mouth, eyes, or nose.
"Wearing gloves will prevent the droplets getting on the skin of your hands, but they can still be carried on and spread by gloves. If you touch your nose/eyes or mouth with gloves on, you are still at risk of being infected."