Face touching in the time of COVID-19 in Shiraz, Iran.

Background: Iranian were advice to wear a mask and not touch their face during COVID-19 restrictions in Iran.

Methods: One-thousand people were observed for 15-30 minutes in public places between April 22 and May 9, 2020. The average number of touches to the mucosal zone was calculated per hour and mask wearers (N = 568) were compared with those not wearing a mask (N = 432).

Findings: Ninety-two percent were observed touching their face at least once an hour and averaged 10 (SD 6) touches per hour. Nonmask wearers touched their face significantly more often than mask wearers (11 vs 8 times per hour, P < .001). Nonmask wearers were 1.5 (95%CI OR 1.2-2.0) times more likely to touch their mucosal zone than mask wearers (P < .001).

Conclusion: Face touching is a common behavior and may have a role in COVID-19 transmission in the absence of hand hygiene. Mask use decrease the frequency of touching the mucosal zone.