Need a handwashing timer during the coronavirus outbreak? Recite the Star Trek intro!
The official Roddenberry Twitter account has advice for everyone in the midst of concerns over coronavirus. On Saturday, they tweeted a picture of a Funko Pop! figure Spock, with the caption, “CDC recommends washing your hands for 20 seconds. You know what takes roughly 20 seconds to say? ‘Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before.’ You’re not required to hum the theme afterwards, but who’s gonna stop you, honestly.”
It might seem a little cheesy, but the advice is solid. In the fight against coronavirus, the World Health Organization recommends washing your hands frequently with soap and water to kill the virus. The CDC even has an entire website on how to wash your hands properly. A key component? That 20-second limit. They say, “Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the ‘Happy Birthday’ song from beginning to end twice.” Personally, I prefer the Star Trek method.