FD
The issue is one of hygiene.
I would hope that most people do, in fact, clean the telephones in their own homes, just as they clean the toilets and keep food preparation surfaces clean.
It is to be hoped that any colleagues sneezing or coughing would have the common good manners to contain such outbursts to a handkerchief - or take sick leave.
Clearly we cannot protect ourselves from every contact with germs but we can eliminate the most obvious ones. Even hospitals are, at last, recognising that simple but regular precautions are useful in preventing the spread of infection. It would be nice if some schools could do the same and actually provide soap in the toilets. It is usually only a week or two after the start of each term before some dreadful germ is doing the rounds!
2 s