Safer ways to get your groceries during the COVID-19 pandemic

In-store shopping: How to minimize your risk

Of course, you may very well need to, or prefer to, do your shopping in person. If you’re not ill or in a high-risk group, this can be okay, if you take some precautions…

• Go when it’s not crowded. Take advantage of the special hours for older people if you qualify. For example, from Tuesday through Thursday, my supermarket is now opening at 6 a.m. only for people over 60 (regular opening time is 7 a.m.).
• No hugging or handshakes. This is a tough one for me. I often joke that the supermarket is my social life, because I always see people I know there, sometimes people I only see there. Remember, keep your distance. It’s okay to stop and talk, for a short time. Make arrangements to call or talk online. While it’s good to see people you know, and it counteracts that feeling of aloneness, don’t linger too long.
• Bring disinfectant wipes. That way, you can sanitize cart and basket handles. Gloves won’t help much. If they touch a contaminated product, they’ll just contaminate the next thing you touch
• Avoid touching your face, eyes, and nose. No explanation needed here!
• Go with a plan and a list. If you’re familiar with the store layout, go aisle by aisle, get what you need, and get out.
• Use hand sanitizer when you leave the store. Or wash your hands as soon as you get home and use sanitizing wipes on your car’s steering wheel and door handles, and on the doorknob of your home.
• Disinfect all cans, jars, and bottles with wipes or a chlorine bleach solution. A recent New England Journal of Medicine study reported that the virus can survive up to 24 hours on cardboard, and up to 2-3 days on plastic.
• Disinfect all counters and surfaces your grocery bags have touched once inside your home.

Read: 5 ways to prepare your home and family for coronavirus