Hand sanitizers spread faster than swine flu

UNDATED - Places you go on a regular basis are starting to step up their efforts to combat swine flu.

Clear plastic bottles filled with hand sanitizer are popping up in schools, offices, churches, even in taxis. Many doctors' offices have pulled magazines and toys from waiting rooms in an effort to stop the spread of swine flu.

Athletes at universities -- including at the University of Maryland -- are being told not to share towels, and some students complain that all the warnings have become irritating. Hand sanitizer pumps are mounted in hallways at the University of Maryland, along with a picture of the Terps mascot reminding them, "Nothing is slower than a sick turtle."

Some fire departments have canceled open houses and stopped giving tours. At fall fairs and festivals, carnival rides are regularly washed down with bleach and water.

After services, last Sunday, parishioners at a Florida church bumped fists with their pastor rather than shake hands, USA TODAY reports. Many Protestant denominations traditionally serve communion from trays that carry individual cups, but common communion cups have disappeared from many Catholic worship services. Church officials have discouraged physical contact during the "exchange of peace."

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