Photo showing a girl's hand on an escalator handrail / rail. This is a concept image for germs, as research shows that the rail of escalators / moving stairs contains high levels of germs, including the cold and flu virus, and even blood, mucus, E. coli, feces and urine. Therefore, many shoppers visiting department stores and shopping malls containing escalators avoid touching the handrail or use a hand sanitiser straight afterwards.