As COVID-19 cases continue to surge worldwide, experts share practical coronavirus tips for grocery shopping to avoid contracting the disease and help flatten the curve.
The key to safe grocery shopping is efficiency. Focus on getting in and out as fast as possible to minimize your risk, according to Donald Schaffner, a food microbiologist and distinguished professor at Rutgers University.
"Be as efficient as possible in the store," Schaffner said.
"Have a list. Move through the store quickly and efficiently. Get out of the way. Be respectful of other people. Maintain social distance while you're in the store," he noted.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also released their own coronavirus tips for grocery shopping. These include buying just one to two weeks-worth of groceries at a time. They also advise the public to wear a face mask and pointed out that some grocery stores require it.
Aside from face masks, shoppers should carry their own wipes and use clean reusable shopping bags, according to FDA.
"Practice social distancing while shopping – keeping at least 6 feet between you, other shoppers, and store employees. Keep your hands away from your face," the FDA said.
Best time to go to grocery store
Ann Marie Pettis, president-elect of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, recommends going to the grocery store in early morning or mid-day because it is safer and not usually busy.
“It’s hard to know when the quieter times may be because there are so many people not working,” she told USA Today.
“I do think it’s a little riskier now," she added.
Meanwhile, Lauren Sauer, director of operations for Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response, said that the public must seek grocery stores with sanitation protocols. Stores that strictly enforce social distancing measures also seem safer.
“As soon as you get there, use hand sanitizer, and touch only what you need to touch. Wipe down your cart handle, and then use the hand sanitizer again,” Elizabeth Eckstrom, chief of geriatrics at Oregon Health and Science University, was quoted on The Guardian.
Do you have to disinfect groceries? consumers ask. While the CDC currently has no recommendation for disinfecting packaging, shoppers should instead wash their hands after handling any item. This is according to Julia Marcus, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School.
“At this point, there’s no evidence that transmission is happening through food packaging. That said, we know the virus can remain viable on surfaces for hours or even days," Marcus said.
"So there’s a hypothetical risk of transmission through touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth,” she added.
When it comes using gloves, it is not necessary. Marcus said that they tend to become like a second skin when they are used outside of the healthcare setting.
"We end up touching our faces, and they may actually make us feel like we’re not at risk but they themselves can become contaminated and may actually be a better surface for the virus to persist on than our own skin,” she said.
