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172 | How to Protect Yourself From Coronavirus When Grocery Shopping
74 |Here are precautions to take whether you shop in-store or online
75 |With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommending that people wear 76 | cloth, non-medical face coverings in public to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, you may wonder 77 | whether that's enough to keep you safe when you shop for food. 78 | 79 | The new CDC advisory, which is voluntary, specifically mentions groceries and pharmacies as public 80 | settings 81 | where it can be difficult to practice social distancing—that is, staying 6 feet from others—to prevent the 82 | spread of the coronavirus. In those locations, the CDC recommends wearing simple cloth face coverings "to 83 | slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting 84 | it 85 | to others." 86 | 87 | Many consumers are trying to avoid visiting grocery stores entirely, by turning to delivery services. 88 | 89 | But whether you buy groceries online or in stores, there are several steps that you can take to limit your 90 | exposure to coronavirus, and they’re not so different from what CR recommends you typically do. Be sure 91 | to: 92 | 93 | Wash nonporous containers. The FDA says there's no current evidence to support the transmission of the 94 | virus 95 | from food packaging. But if you're concerned, it can't hurt to wipe down non-porous containers like glass 96 | or 97 | cans with disinfectant wipes. 98 | 99 | 100 |
101 |If You’re Getting Your Groceries Delivered
102 |103 | Even if a grocery store or warehouse is thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis, the delivery person needs 104 | to 105 | take the same precautions to prevent the spread of a virus to you. 106 | 107 | Among the six services in our review of grocery delivery services, AmazonFresh, Amazon Prime Now, 108 | Instacart, 109 | and Shipt employ independent contractors for deliveries. Instacart has begun offering up to 14 days of pay 110 | to all shoppers—including independent contractors—sidelined by coronavirus, plus sick pay to its part-time 111 | in-store shoppers. (In response to a recent walkoff by some of its shoppers who demanded more workplace 112 | protections, Instacart also announced it was providing free "health and safety kits" including a washable 113 | cloth mask, hand sanitizer, and a reusable forehead thermometer that workers could order from the 114 | company.) 115 | 116 | FreshDirect and Peapod delivery personnel are company employees. Walmart, which wasn't part of our 117 | ratings, 118 | uses DoorDash for deliveries. 119 | 120 | While those companies might recommend that deliverers wash their hands often, practice other hygiene 121 | measures, and stay home when they’re feeling sick, they can’t monitor whether drivers are actually taking 122 | those precautions, says Erin Hatton, an associate professor of sociology and a labor scholar at the 123 | University of Buffalo. “And without paid sick leave, workers are going to try to push through as much as 124 | they can,” Hatton says. 125 |
126 |If You’re Picking Up Prepacked Groceries
127 |The steps are basically the same for this option as for delivery. If you’ve ordered and are merely having 128 | someone put the groceries in your car in a parking lot—an option at about 3,000 Walmart locations 129 | nationwide—consider opening your car door yourself rather than having the person bringing the items to 130 | your 131 | car touch the handle. And if you can tip on a supermarket’s app, do so rather than handing over cash. 132 | (Walmart’s employees aren’t permitted to take tips.)
133 |If You're Buying Groceries in a Store
134 |A key way to prevent the virus’s spread is to stay 6 feet away from other people. The CDC notes that's 135 | generally the distance within which people pick up coronavirus droplets through the air from a cough or 136 | sneeze. Such “social distancing” is a good strategy in any situation outside the home, Rogers says. Other 137 | ideas: 138 | 139 | Go shopping at a time that’s less busy. If you type in the store’s name and location in Google search, a 140 | box 141 | often will pop up showing when foot traffic there is highest. 142 | 143 | Wear a face covering. The new advice from the CDC on face masks is voluntary. The agency says the 144 | non-medical coverings can be "basic cloth or fabric masks." The New York City Health Department, which 145 | recently put out a directive to citizens to cover their faces when outside their home, defines a face 146 | covering as "any well-secured paper or cloth (like a bandana or scarf) that covers your mouth and nose," 147 | and 148 | offers best practices for how to put it on, wear it, and remove it. 149 | 150 | It's not necessary to use surgical masks or N-95 respirators, the CDC stresses. "Those are critical 151 | supplies 152 | that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders," the agency 153 | says. 154 | 155 | Take germicide with you. Use it to wipe your hands and the cart before and after you shop. 156 | 157 | Use a credit or debit card. That way, you don’t have to hand over bills or receive change. Also, use your 158 | own pen to sign receipts. If you can, use a virtual payment system like Apple Pay so that you don't have 159 | to 160 | open your wallet at all. 161 | 162 | Editor’s Note: This article, originally published on March 9, 2020, has been updated to clarify our 163 | guidance 164 | on how to handle produce and food packaging, as well as news on Instacart's delivery service, how long 165 | coronaviruses live on cardboard, and whether to use a face covering. 166 |
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