The pandemic has made people wary of surface contact with germs and viruses. If you want to stay safe, learn safety precautions and the best safety practices. If you’re going to use an ATM, check if the model is a touch machine. Here’s what you need to know if that’s the case.

How to Avoid Germs at Boxes

Whether you have a credit union ATM or the usual bank ATM, you’ll want to learn how to avoid germs at the boxes. The standard safety guidelines apply in this case. You should wash your hands. Not just any hand sanitizer will do, though. If you have one of those tiny sanitizers with only glitter and goop, trade those with alcohol-based options. That’s much more effective in getting rid of germs and bacteria. Once you’re finished using the box, you should rewash your hands.

Avoid Touching Your Face

Be careful not to touch your face before you wash your hands. If you have glasses and your eyes are irritated, or if you forget for a moment and rub your eyes, that could potentially expose you to the virus. Wear a mask when you’re outside. Even if you forget, the mask should remind you if you accidentally touch or rub any portion of your face.

Make the Spray Accessible

It’s a good idea to have the hand sanitizer accessible, so clip it to the outside of your bag. That way, any time you need to spray alcohol on your hands, you won’t have to keep digging through any pockets, which could lead to potential contamination and pickup of germs.

Follow Social Distancing Rules

Since it takes practice for everyone to start adopting these measures in a more hygiene-conscious society, you’ll want to start getting into the habit of keeping your distance, especially when you’re outside. That especially applies when you line up at the ATM. If there aremany people in the queue, it can be tempting to ignore social distancing rules. But that could lead to a possible infection. You’ll want to do your best to prevent exposure to the virus. Even if you’ve been vaccinated, some of the people in your household or those you come across might not be. If youpick up any viruses, you could be a spreader. Social distancing rules help prevent that problem.

Look for New Models

There are also new models that might be rolled out this year. Some new ATM models have features that allow you to use your mobile device as the controller for transactions. That will take the place of your debit card, so you won’t need to use the card, only the phone. And since that’s your phone, meaning it’s been sanitized by you and you’re sure that it doesn’t have any virus or bacteria, you can rest easy, knowing that you’re using a safe device that won’t expose you to the virus or bacteria through surface contact. Start paying attention to the ATM models that your bank or credit union has.