Blind people and their guides need to adapt steps recommended by experts for the general public in order to protect themselves against the coronavirus, says Blind SA.

The organisation has advised individuals who are guides for blind people to avoid sneezing in the crook of their elbow, as advised by the authorities.

Blind SA CEO Jace Nair said this could pose a risk as blind people hold onto the sighted guide by holding on their elbow.

He recommended the use of tissues instead.

“We hold the elbow of our sighted guide. We also walk in close proximity to our guide, about an arm's length behind,” he said.

"We recommend that blind persons and sighted guides rather sneeze into a tissue which is disposable. We encourage these people to regularly wash their hands and use hand sanitiser.”

Nair also encouraged blind people to regularly wash their hands, particularly as they are often using braille, which is shared with other readers.

“We use our fingers to touch-read braille and we generally circulate these braille books to other blind braille readers.”

He said the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) has published an information leaflet, which has been transcribed into braille.

“Blind SA transcribed the leaflet distributed by the institute into braille, Daisy [digital accessible information system] and accessible MS Word format,” he said.

Nair said blind people could try to stay safe by using gloves, a folded white cane or a short stick when in rural areas or narrow pathways.

“We would recommend using a belt to link between the guide and the blind person instead of a piece of stick, which is unsafe, [and] holding the guide on the upper arm or even on the shoulder instead of the traditional safe method of holding onto the elbow,” he said.

He said a lack of information in accessible formats like braille, audio and Daisy could also pose a risk for blind people amid the pandemic.