HEADLINE: Don’t freak out over sneezes Everyone in the path of the novel coronavirus, which at this point is pretty much all of us, should know by now the best advice to avoid catching this highly communicable bug. Wash your hands frequently, for 20 seconds at a time, and stop touching your face. Then there's one behavior that seems like it might be sensible, but in fact falls under the panicky column: Sneeze-shaming.