MIAMI (WSVN) - As more and more people begin to wear masks and gloves, more and more are littering.
Used gloves have been found in grocery store parking lots and in shopping carts.
Christian Lata of the Hollywood Police Department said, “A lot of people are just discarding those gloves, those masks, those wipes on the ground, but that could potentially spread the virus.”
Miriam Halvorssen, a shopper said, “There’s dirty gloves all over the place.”
Another shopper said, “There’s tens and hundreds of them here, they’re everywhere you look.”
Store employees are forced to clean up the mess, potentially endangering them.
Dr. Karan Raj explained the hazards of disposing of protective gear this way.
“You’ve got your gloves, you’re at the supermarket, you’re touching things. There you go, germs. You keep touching more things throughout the day with the same gloves. Germs everywhere, you’re accumulating germs,” he said.
Dr. Raj took to TikTok to explain what people need to be doing differently.
“Your glove is now more full of germs than your hand would have been if you washed each time. Remember, with these same gloves you’ll be touching your steering wheel, you might accidentally touch your hand, transferring the germs to yourself. When you’re changing the gloves you might be actually touching the glove itself.”
Stores are hiring extra staff to deal with the hazardous waste.
Late said, “Do it properly. Don’t just leave them on the ground, don’t just leave them in shopping carts. Potentially, this could be a citation, and you could receive a ticket.”
Raj said, “Just wash your hands. Be sensible, stay safe.”
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