Abstract: A portable, compact germ barrier for protecting a person from direct contact with an unsanitary surface, such as a doorknob, a toilet handle, or the like, is disclosed. A flexible fabric web is fixed to a plurality of stiffening rods that are each pivotally connected at a proximal end thereof to an actuating mechanism fixed through a central aperture of the web. The actuating mechanism includes an actuator for moving the ribs between a closed and an open position. In use, the person manually actuates the actuator, causing the actuating mechanism to pivot each of the ribs from the closed position into the open position. When in the open position, the germ barrier may be used to grasp the surface through the web, preventing direct contact between the person and the surface. The germ barrier is portable, compact, easy to use and it may be kept close-by, such as on a keychain.