There has been no major increase in the number of Australians washing their hands since this time last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Almost one-in-five Australians aren’t washing their hands after going to the toilet, new data has revealed.

The Food Safety Information Council research found 20 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women don’t wash their hands after using the toilet.

“We were a bit shocked this year,” Lydia Buchtmann from the Food Safety Information Council told Ross and Russel.

“We were surprised there really wasn’t much of a difference.

“Four per cent more people were washing their hands after going to the toilet, so that’s a little bit better, but still one-in-five Australians are not even doing that.”

Hand washing has been identified as one of the most important measures a person can take to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.

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