Coronavirus

How To Pick Up Groceries Without Picking Up A Bunch Of Germs

There are ways to reduce the chance of taking home the coronavirus along with your groceries.

How To Pick Up Groceries Without Picking Up A Bunch Of Germs
Patrick Terpstra / Newsy

With the weekend here, many of us will venture out of isolation to re-stock the fridge.

Going to the grocery store may be necessary, but it’s still a risk, said Jaydee Hanson, policy director at the Center for Food Safety.

"For the most part, the stuff in the grocery itself should be safe," Hanson said. "But you do want to avoid crowding around other people."

Some grocery stores have put masking tape on the floor to mark where customers should stand for social distancing while in line.

"A good practice now is to wear gloves," Hanson said. "Choose things that are going to require cooking. Like all microbes, this one doesn't survive past about 165 degrees."

He also recommends shopping in stores that are taking precautions like sanitizing credit card machines, carts and shelves.

"It's more of a risk for these essential personnel than it is for you," Hanson said. "If you've got a cough, just don't even go to the store."

Many retailers are reserving the first part of the day for seniors and other immunocompromised people to protect the most vulnerable shoppers.

If you go, pick up only what you want and assume others have touched products.

Once you get home, consider wiping down boxes you buy.