With the COVID-19 pandemic, shopping has changed in many ways. Even though online shopping is booming, other errands will still need you to step out amidst the restrictions.
This is because some services have not upgraded to eCommerce services or people still believe in shopping physically the traditional way.
Experts advise on the proper ways to run the essential errands such as grocery shopping, banking, and getting gas and take out services. Generally, you should not leave your house if you feel unwell and show coronavirus symptoms such as coughing, fever, and fatigue.
Read on.
Touching Items
What you touch is not a problem as to who breathes on you. Touching things like groceries is mandatory when buying hence impossible to avoid. Besides, there is no proof showing transmission of the virus through foods and food packages.
Nonetheless, the highest risk is being in close contact with people who may be transferring the virus in drops as they talk, sneeze, or breathe nearby.
Moreover, some surfaces have a high-touch level like door handles, where most probably someone with poor hand hygiene might have spread the virus to the surface. In this situation, the transfer is likely because you will touch the surface and then touch your eyes, mouth, or ears to contract the illness.
When you consider how much people touch such surfaces, you will avoid them or use a sanitizer immediately after brushing them. Besides, many people are likely to touch door handles and ATMs compared to a tomato in a bin.
Sanitizing Food At Home
As much as people uphold cleanliness and safety when they return from shopping, sanitizing your food is more of a bad idea than protection.
Typically, soap and sanitizers are not safe on food; hence, there is no risk of applying them. Still, some of these practices might create food safety hazards.
Let’s say you submerge your vegetables in a sink filled with water; the harmful bacteria in your sink, perhaps in the drain from the raw chicken you sliced a night before, will likely infect your produce.
Instead, you need to wash your vegetables under running water, preferably cool, and dry with a clean towel. Still, you can allow them to drain-dry if you are not in a hurry. Also, it would help if you washed your hands immediately when you get home and not wait to unpack first. This way, you will likely kill the germs on your hands before passing them to the things you bought when unpacking.
Wearing Gloves in a Store
You should not wear gloves when going to the grocery store. This is because they are likely to spread germs.
However, if you choose to wear gloves, disposable ones are ideal and need dumping immediately you finish shopping.
When taking off gloves, you should grip the band at the wrist, on the one hand, ensuring the gloved fingers do not touch your skin. Next, pull the glove up out of your hand as your fingers turn it inside out. Afterwards, it would be best to wash your hands immediately after the gloves are removed or use a sanitizer if you cannot access soap and water.
What’s important is to ensure your hands are clean immediately you touch public surfaces and get home.